


These Broken Pieces

by Niiwasong



Category: DC Animated Universe (Timmverse), Doctor Strange (2016), Green Lantern - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: A/B/O, Abused character, Adoption, Alpha!Clark Kent, Alpha!Guy Gardener, Alpha!Hal Jordan, Alpha!Stephen Strange, Alpha!Steve Rogers, Anal Plug, Angst, Arranged bonds, Beta!John Stewart, Bonding, Collars, Comfort and Fluff, F/M, Gags, Gen, Leashes, Lex Luthor is a piece of shit, M/M, Male Pregnancy, Mentions of Rape, Mpreg, Non-Consensual Spanking, Omega!Barry Allen, Omega!Bruce Wayne, Omegaverse, Other, Tony Stark Has A Heart, an abusive piece of shit, male chastity, mentions of forced pregnancy, mentions of oral sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:19:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28643574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niiwasong/pseuds/Niiwasong
Summary: In a strange twist of fate, Alpha Hal Jordan comes into custody of an abused Omega and his young son.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Hal Jordan, Bruce Wayne/Clark Kent, Dinah Lance/Oliver Queen, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange, Tony Stark/Steve Rogers (past)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 107





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the fic. As you may have guessed, this isn't going to start out as a happy story, but it will end that way. In this chapter, there will be graphic depictions of abuse and some graphic detail of gags, anal plugs, cock cages, and collars and leashes. If these offend or trigger you in anyway, I recommend you not read. I hope you enjoy

Hal felt the truck shake as it left the paved road and drove onto the pot-hole riddled shipyard surface. He wrinkled his nose at the scent of oil, body odour, rust, and dirty water that wafted through the ventilation system. He heard Guy in the driver’s seat snarl, whether at the smell or the person they were meeting, it was hard to say, but either way Hal agreed. John shifted audibly in the backseat, leaning between the two front seats to fix the two with a stern lecture.

“Look, I know you’re both unhappy about this and you’re concerned about the meeting place but please try not to go feral during this meetup.” John implored the two Alpha’s.

“John, this has all the components of a mob set up, you know that right? We’re meeting one of the dodgy-est men in the world, in an abandoned shipping yard, at dusk.” Guy returned, navigating the vehicle through the maze of shipping crates and heavy machinery.

“I never thought I would say this but; Guy’s right. This doesn’t feel right.” Hal said, scanning the shadows for hidden figures that may be lurking around.

“I know.” John sighed. “But this entire job was a breach of our comfort zones, might as well end that way.”

“Why did Big Blue even want us to take this mission again?” Hal asked.

“Something about Bruce needing information cut Lex off at the knees that could only be achieved like this.” John said, massaging his temples while Guy parked the car just outside of the designated meeting spot, a secluded area with two sides blocked by the harbour and a wall of shipping containers, giving them privacy.

As they checked their rings to make sure they all had enough power in case the meeting got tense, an imposing black limo with black tinted windows pulled up at the other side of the clearing and stopped, followed by a bleak sudan. Hal glanced at his companions and got nods from the both of them, so he opened the door and gracefully climbed down, waiting for the others to come around the sides of the truck before he started walking towards the middle of the clearing.

They got a mere few paces away from the center and stopped, Hal front and center with Guy on his right and John on his left. It was then that Hal realised that the wind was behind them, meaning that the people he was meeting would be able to smell their scents but they wouldn’t be able to smell theirs, putting the trio at a distinct disadvantage if things went sideways. Looking at Guy, the two exchanged a glance that told Hal the other Alpha had noticed too, but there was nothing that could be done about it now but wait and hope the meeting didn’t get heated.

They didn’t have to wait long, the backdoor of the limo opening up and revealing the man they were here to meet; Lex Luther. Hal expected him to come with armed guards but instead, a small, red haired pup clamoured out of the backseat beside him before Lex grabbed something off the seat and yanked it harsley, dragging someone out and onto their hands and knees.

Guy inhaled sharply beside him and Hal found himself agreeing. The someone was obviously an Omega and it was clear that he was battered, the only clothing he had on was a wrap around red skirt that barely covered the tops of his thighs, his feet were bare, and he was decorated in an array of bruises in various stages of healing. As he was hauled to his feet, Hal noticed that the thing Lex had grabbed was a leash attached to a collar around the Omega’s neck, and as the Alpha grabbed his chin and tilted his face up, Hal saw that a large ball gag was fitted in his mouth.

Left speechless, the trio could only watch as the bald Alpha led the pup and Omega across the gravel, the collared man limping as he was forced to walk over stray rocks and sharp debris that littered the ground. Hal failed to hide a wince of sympathy as Lex stopped beside a broken bottle and a small part of him hoped that against all odds, he wouldn’t be that cruel, the dice didn’t roll in his favour as Lex pointed his finger at the ground covered in glass, the Omega obeying the order and kneeling on the glass. The pup had followed the two from the limo and immediately scrambled into the lap of the kneeling man, the Omega pulling him close despite the fact that the added weight must be adding to his own pain.

“Gentlemen.”

Hal had to drag his gaze away from the suffering man with the child as Lex spoke, the bald man acting like he hadn’t just forced someone to wait on shattered glass.

“The job went well, I take it?” He asked.

Swallowing his rage, Hal plastered on a smile and played nice.

“It did, no trouble so to speak. I’m sure you received the files we sent you?”

“I did indeed.” Lex replied. If he noticed the barely concealed anger of the other Alpha’s he hid it well, he was the picture of laid back, hands in his pockets with his shoulders relaxed.

“Then may I ask why you wanted to speak with us?” Hal asked.

Luther grinned, taking his hands out of his pockets and gesturing to the Omega at his feet.

“I figured I owed you some form of compensation, after all the hard work you gave me.”

Guy snarled beside him, adopting a hostile stance at what the man was implying, implicating that the three were low enough to assault a hapless Omega as payment. Hal placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning in close to whisper in his ear.

“I know, it’s abhorrent but the Omega will be frightened if you lose control.”

Guy flicked his tongue over his teeth before closing his lips, the look he gave Hal told him that he was only just holding onto his infamous temper for the sake of the beaten man on the ground.

“I appreciate the offer, but we don’t roll that way.” Hal called across the clearing.

“And we prefer partners who can consent.” John stage muttered, Luther obviously hearing him.

“Oh! I think there’s been a misunderstanding, I’m not offering for you to _use_ him, I’m giving him to you. He’s a little too defiant for my tastes, but a couple of strapping young Alphas and a battle hardened Beta ought to be able to handle him.” Lex laughed, as though he wasn’t discussing trading a human being in lieu of money for a service.

“We all know that it’s not quite as simple as that. We would need someone from the Registration and Guardianship Agency to oversee the transfer, that’s assuming that you are, in fact, his legal Alpha.” Hal growled, trying not to look at the Omega. 

Lex smiled like a shark smelling blood in the water, he lifted his hand and waved. The drivers side door of the sudan that had arrived with Lex opened and a plain looking man stepped out. He briskly walked over to Lex and nodded to the three across the gap, Lex tipped his head to the man and addressed the other people there.

“This is Geoffrey Wilferd, he works in the transfer department of the RGA. He was kind enough to agree to have the paperwork printed out and accompany me to this little shindig so we could go through the proper channels.” Luther introduced, looking at them as though challenging them to escalate the situation.

“Well that’s nice.” Hal muttered sarcastically. “I’m afraid we have to decline, we’re not in the market of courting an Omega.”

Luther shook his head in false sadness as he looked down his nose at the pair by his feet.

“Well that does not bode well for you, does it?” He asked, making the Omega cower under his gaze. “I guess it’s off to a group home for you.”

John stiffened while Hal and Guy growled. The Omega across from them tightened his grip on the pup and curled in on himself. Hal couldn’t blame him, group homes were notoriously awful, rampant with sexual assault, physical abuse, forced bonds, and links to the sex trade, an Omega would be better off stranded in the middle of the ocean than in a group home.

“No!” Hal burst out, inwardly cursing how manipulative Lex was “We’ll take him.”

“We will?” John whispered.

“Would you rather he wind up in some sicko’s basement?” Guy whispered back.

“Excellent! Come step over here and we’ll fill out the paperwork.” Lex exclaimed, sharply tugging the leash to force the Omega to stand, the collared man desperately climbing to his feet, the man's shins were a torn, bloody mess as he set the child on his own feet to follow him.

The lantern trio followed the business man to a wooden crate set against a massive shipping crate, the RGA guy spreading out a mess of papers for them to read across its surface.

“Which of you will be taking custody of the Omega?” He asked, clicking a pen to fill out the blanks in the form.

Guy immediately pointed at Hal, holding up his hands to demonstrate that he wanted no part of custody over a human being.

“I guess I will.” Hal said. “My full name is Harold Jeremiah Jordan.”

The man scribbled down his name in a box and turned to Lex.

“What’s the Omega’s legal name?” 

“Bartholomew Henry Luther.”

More scribbling followed as he filled in boxes before turning to Hal and handing him the paperwork.

“Read that over, make sure you understand the terms and requirements you’ll be agreeing to.” He ordered.

Hal obliged, taking his time to read through all of the legal jarden, though that was difficult. Now that he was closer, Hal could smell the blood and fear scent rolling off the Omega, and while the ball gag prevented him from speaking, it didn’t do much more than muffle his laboured breathing and pained whimpers coming from behind it and it was driving Hal to distraction. Still, he laboured through it, frowning when he noticed an absent member.

“Is there a different form I need to fill out for the pup or is it assumed that he’s following the Omega?” He asked.

Luther frowned, looking at the two people who he had legal power over.

“You don’t need to take the pup. He isn’t whelped to the whore, just scented so he can just go to a shelter without any questions being asked.” 

“No!” The pup wailed, throwing himself at Bartholomew and clinging to him, the Omega digging his fingers into his shirt and glaring at Lex with defiance in his eyes, and Hal could smell that he was about to go feral even though he was in no condition to fight an Alpha in peak physical prowess, so Hal stepped in.

“I’m not separating a pup from his parent Lex.” Hal warned, letting an air of authority creep into his scent to alert Lex about how serious he was about this. Lex smiled and looked at the two clinging to each other with a debating look on his face.

“I’m not sure, it would be easier for you if you just took the slut. I didn’t allow the two to fully bond so there would be no adverse effects on the Omega.” Lex pondered, touching the pups shoulder, causing Bartholomew to swat at his hand. Luthor snarled, ripping the pup away from his Omega and throwing the man to the ground, pressing his foot down on his neck to keep him there.

“You're not someone else's problem yet, bitch, and I will punish you if you act out.” He snapped, pressing his foot down harder to cut off his breath for a moment before releasing him and hauling him to his feet. Hal growled, drawing Lex’s attention away from the panting blond.

“I told you, I’m not separating them Luthor. If you want compensation for the boy, I’d be willing to negotiate but I’m not leaving here without them both.”

Lex cocked an eyebrow at him, looking him up and down with amusement before shrugging.

“The brat isn’t worth anything, take him if you want him.” 

Hal didn’t take his eyes off the other Alpha as he raised his hand towards the pup, who was standing a few feet away from when he’d been thrown so Lex could terrorize his Omega.

“Come here pup.” He ordered, letting a tinge of Alpha slip into his tone so he wouldn’t be disobeyed.

The child hurried to his side and started looking between Bartholomew and Hal, biting his lip. Hal knelt down as much as he was comfortable with to address the child.

“What’s your name pup?” He asked softly, brushing his thumb across his cheeks, surprised when the child leaned into his touch.

“Wally.” He whimpered.

“Hello Wally, can you tell me your full name so I can take you with us when we leave?” Hal encouraged.

“Wallance Rudolph Luthor.” He answered, placing his small hand over Hal’s large one and looking at Hal with hopeful green eyes. “Are you really going to take us away?”

“I’m hoping to, yes.” Hal said. “Why don’t you go hang out with my friends while I get this paperwork sorted out.”

Wally stayed where he was for a moment, looking towards Guy with an unsure look. John noticed his discomfort and donned the smile he wore when dealing with scared kids as he approached, he laid a hand on the boy’s scrawny shoulder to guide him away from the discussions and towards the truck. As soon as Hal was sure the pup was far enough away, he turned his focus back to Lex and the paperwork.

“So is there a different form I need to fill out or is it just assumed that a child stays with their parent?” He asked again, letting his disdain infect his voice. The RGA agent shrugged, unfazed by the violence he had seen displayed.

“As long as they’re both registered under the same name and transferred at the same time, it won’t be a problem.” He informed, gesturing back to the paperwork in Hal’s hands. “Have you got any other questions?”

“No, I think I have everything sorted out.” He said, accepting a pen from the man, who pointed to a blank line.

“Sign here.” He instructed. After Hal signed, he took the pen back and pointed to another one. “Alpha. Luther, sign here please.”

As soon as Lex signed over rights to the Omega, the RGA agents took his copy of the paperwork, bid them adieu, and retreated to his car. Lex was still smiling that ‘blood in the water’ grin, handing Hal a remote with various buttons and a print scanner.

“If you’ll just hold your thumb over the reader, that will allow you to adjust his accessories to your desires.” He said in an oily tone.

With no real choice but to oblige, Hal pressed his thumb down on the small screen, feeling the surface’s heat and then the remote vibrate as it transferred ownership. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Omega shift as the collar’s latch synced with the remote, his eyes downcast, avoiding eye contact.

With a flare of pageantry, Luthor pressed the leash handle into Hal’s hand along with the remote, clapping him on the arm like they were old friends. Hating himself, Hal gave the leash a gentle tug, trying to guide the man away from his former Alpha without hurting him. He was surprised when instead of obeying, the blond resisted, leaning back to counteract the pull of the cord and squaring himself. Lex tsked, grabbing the leash beside Hal’s hand.

“Like I said, defiant. Just remind him who’s in charge.” He said.

As he finished his sentence he tore the leash down, dragging the blond back to the gravel and dragging his bare skin across the rocks. The Alpha snarled, seeing the Omega lay still and watching blood ooze out from beneath the collar. In a single motion, Hal snatched the leash away from the other man and stepped protectively over the Omega.

“I’m in charge!” He roared. “And I’ll thank you for remembering that you have no right to him any more, you signed away your right to discipline him not five minutes ago.”

Lex stared him down, a challenge in his eyes as the two braced for a fight, the overwhelming smell of an Omega in pain flooding both of their senses. Hal was mentally preparing for a fight when he felt Guy’s presence beside him, ready to back him up and reminding Lex that he was outnumbered. In an instant, Luthor stepped down, resuming his facade of acting harmless.

“Of course, my apologies. Force of habit.” He conceded, turning away to head back to his waiting ride. “Good evening gentlemen.”

“Fucking bastard.” Guy muttered, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck to settle himself down.

Hal didn’t respond, watching as Lex got back into the car and it started to move, slowly disappearing out of sight. The moment it was gone Hal relaxed from his defensive position and knelt beside the trembling Omega.

The poor thing was a wreck. His eyes were glassy and unfocused like he was on the brink of passing out, and judging by how his nostrils were flaring as he tried to regain his breath, Hal wouldn’t have been surprised if that was the case. His cropped blond hair was pink in small patches, courtesy of the variety of small cuts visible on his scalp, the skin around his collar was caked in dried and fresh blood, and his shins and the bottoms of his feet resembled ground beef because of how cut they were. Murmuring wordlessly, Hal stroked the man's cheek, knowing that he needed to calm him down before he could figure out what to do with him. As his eyes came back into focus, Hal smiled.

“There we go, well done.” He praised. 

As he said that, he carefully slid one arm under the man’s shoulders and the other under his knees, hoisting him off the ground and holding him to his chest, carrying him over to the truck and letting Guy drop the tailgate before setting him down on it. The first thing Hal knew he needed to address was the gag, reaching around the back of his head to press his thumb against the release, the straps going lax as it came undone. Bartholomew didn’t spit out the gag, instead keeping it in his mouth.

“Come on now, spit it out.” Hal said gently, waiting fruitlessly for him to release it.

“Hal, if he’s had to wear that for awhile, his jaw might be cramped.” John pointed out, his one hand still on the pups back.

Nodding to the idea, Hal started gently massaging the Omega’s jaw. He could feel that there was obvious discomfort in the muscles he was massaging and they were tense from holding such an awkward position for an unknown length of time. Finally, the tension eased just enough for Bartholomew to tip his head forward and spit the gag out, moving his jaw side to side and opening and closing his mouth.

Hal took the gag and set it on the floor of the truck bed, glaring at it like it had personally offended him. It was indented with bite marks where it had been forced into the Omega’s mouth, which told him that it couldn’t have been anything less than painful to have to wear. He was broken out of his thoughts when Bartholomew started to cough, rough and ragged like he had swallowed a cheesegrater.

“Oh shit, you could probably use some water, couldn’t you?” He said, fruitlessly looking around as though a bottle of water would magically appear beside him.

“There’s a convee across the road from where we came in, can’t be more than a ten minute walk.” Guy supplied, “How about John and I take the kid to grab some water while you get Blondie sorted out here?”

Hal nodded along, relieved that there was a way to get some water on hand. Having a drink wouldn’t solve all of the Omega’s problems by a long shot, but it would probably ease some discomfort.

“We’ll check and see if they have any first aid supplies there too, our kit’s almost empty and he’s got some scrapes.” John added.

Hal scoffed, _scrapes_ was an understatement. The Omega’s legs and feet were shredded beyond the capabilities of first aid, what he needed for those was a doctor, and the blood seeping from beneath his collar was an unknown, but he would bet it was bad as well. Still, their first aid kit did need refilling and it would be best to get that sooner than later, so Hal nodded and the other lantern headed off with the kid.

As soon as they were out of sight, Hal turned back to the man in front of him. Now that he didn’t have the scents of another Alpha, a Beta, and a pup in his nose, he could focus solely on the Omega. The scent of fear and pain wafted off of him in waves, bitter and offensive to Hal’s nose. But there was another scent underneath those that he couldn’t place but put him on edge, it was toxic, almost rotting, and it was mixed with the coppery smell of the Omega’s blood, and Hal found himself curling his lip at it.

Bartholomew noticed the change in his mood and shrunk in on himself farther, another wave of fear hitting Hal in the face. Gaining control over himself, Hal tried to appear comforting and approachable.

“I’m sorry, I’m not curling my lip at you, don’t be frightened.” He soothed, deciding to properly introduce himself. “My name’s Hal, I’m going to help you, alright?”

Bartholomew nodded and let out a shaky breath, his eyes were clenched tight but some tears still managed to fall down his cheeks. Hal felt a tinge of sympathy in his heart, the last half an hour had been very stressful for him, he couldn’t even begin to fathom how frightening it must be for the two people who had just been signed away like used goods. He knew he needed to be careful here, if Bartholomew was this stressed and in pain, he may go feral and try to fight Hal, further injuring himself in the process, so he started moving slowly and announced what he was going to do.

“I’m going to get that collar off of you, so I’m going to need to put my hands near your neck.” He declared, showing the Omega his hands. “I’m going to be as gentle as I can, but this might still hurt a bit and I’m sorry.”

Having forewarning about what was going to happen seemed to put Bartholomew at ease a little. He tilted his head back to fully expose his neck to the Alpha as he unclipped the leash and moved on to undoing his collar. Hal tossed the leash beside the gag, giving it a similar glare he had given the muzzle, then went back to the collar. It’s locking mechanism was very similar to the binds on the gag, unfastening when he pressed his thumb against the scanner. The collar was stuck to his skin with dried blood, and as soon as he tried to pull it away, the toxic, rotten smell intensified, hitting him like a brick and making him gag and growl. 

The skin under the collar was covered in deep, infected cuts that were leaking puss and blood. Trying to breath through his mouth, Hal carefully pulled the collar off and was able to examine it. It was made of firm leather, but on the side that touched the skin, there was a variety of what looked like piano wires that were covered in blood and puss. Hal realized that it was designed to dig into the wearers skin and cause pain if they resisted, or if they were being dragged around on a short leash.

“Oh God, he made you wear this awful thing?” Hal gasped, looking between the collar and the Omega’s bloody neck.

Bartholomew nodded again, trembling when Hal carefully grazed a finger over one of the less infected cuts. 

“I’m so sorry, that’s a horrible thing to do to someone.” 

The blond Omega nodded again but kept his eyes closed, which was probably for the best. Hal was fuming and he couldn’t keep it off his expressions. Given the political shift in the past few years, Omega Rights had been restricted, resulting in the creation of the group homes and the Registration and Guardianship Agency, but he doubted that the country had sunk so low that a device such as this would be tolerated and available for use. Luther must have had it specially made to torment the Omega.

He shook his head to refocus, tossing the collar into the discard pile with a low growl. Bartholomew flinched and made a strangled noise that might have been a whimper of some kind.

“Sorry, I’m not mad at you.” He apologized, looking over the Omega. “Did he put anything else on you, or is that all?”

Bartholomew shook his head, a blush colouring his pale cheeks. He pointed down to his skirt with a shaky hand and Hal bit his lip. It made sense that Lex would have put things on his private parts but it made it awkward for him now that he needed to get them off.

“Okay.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Why don’t you lay down and I’ll get that sorted out.”

With assistance from the Alpha, Bartholomew laid down on his back with his legs apart so Hal could see what he was doing. The wrap around skirt he was wearing wasn’t very long, so Hal didn’t need to push it up to keep it out of the way.

The first device was easy to see, a silver cock cage wrapped around his manhood, digging into the flesh it was touching. The second device was obstructed, being inside of him and all Hal could see was a flared base. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Hal decided to start with the cage and then move onto whatever Luthor had shoved up inside him.

There really wasn’t a way for Hal to address either without some intimate touching, so he just kept his touches light while he looked for the clasp to unlock it. After a few seconds of awkward and pointless fumbling, Hal pulled back to reexamine and reaccess. The cage had obviously been locked on somehow but he couldn’t figure out how to get the damn thing off.

Smacking the side of his head, Hal remembered the remote he had been given. ‘For his accessories’ Lex had said, so it made sense that this torture device would be related to that. Retrieving the small device from his pocket where he had previously forgotten about it and examined it’s various buttons. In a brief stroke of good fortune, Hal was able to make out pictures on the buttons indicating what they controlled.

Pressing the appropriate button, Hal saw the cock cage loosen and inwardly cheered. Now that it wasn’t digging into the Omega’s skin it was easy to get off and join the others in the pile. 

Finally, Hal needed to address the anal plug. Taking the base between his thumb and pointer, he started to pull slowly. Bartholomew shifted and spread his legs wider, the fear smell intensifying while the Alpha removed his plug. When Hal got to the circumference, a rivet of bloody slick started leaking out, indicating that the Omega was injured on the inside as well. With a final pull, the plug was out, followed by another rush of blood and slick.

“There, that probably feels better, at least.” Hal said, tossing the final accessory onto the pile.

Bartholomew looked better, slightly less pained now that his injuries weren’t being reopened constantly. Hal hopped onto the tailgate beside him and helped him sit up, rubbed his back to comfort him. Given that they had some time, Hal started talking, trying to give some insight as to what was going to happen.

Obviously, Bartholomew needed a doctor. His legs alone justified it, and the mess that was his neck, along with whatever was wrong with his hole added to it. However, he couldn’t just drag him into a hospital, the signs of domestic violence would result in an inquisition from the RGA and could end with the Omega and his pup separated and thrown into the system. Hal’s best option was to get him to Gotham across the river and hope Bruce would be able to help keep this on the down-low while getting Bartholomew and Wally the treatment they needed. He would have to discuss it with John and Guy, and he would need to call Bruce for permission to come to his home with his mate and child, but it was Hal’s best option so far.

Turning to Bartholomew, Hal started filling him in on what was going to happen.

“Hey, so I know everything is really stressful for you right now, and I’m sorry that it is. I know you don’t know me, but I promise that I’m not going to hurt you or your pup.” He started, “My friends won’t hurt you either. I’ll talk to them when they get back, but I think our best bet is to take you to our friend Bruce’s house, he employs a retired military medic who can get you patched up. He lives in Gotham, which is just across the river, so we won’t even have to go too far, alright?”

Bartholomew nodded timidly, keeping his head ducked to avoid looking directly at Hal. Happy to just get any reaction, the Alpha nodded with him and looked at the pile of discarded toys while he tried to figure out what to do with them. 

He knew he couldn’t just leave them here, that would be repulsive to whomever had to clean it up, and they could be used to get Bartholomew’s scent and track them down. Bruce would already insist on checking all of them for tracking devices, if they let an easy way to get the scent of a person he was bringing over, Bruce would kill him. That being said, he didn’t want to take them with him, he didn’t want the Omega to think he would use them on him again and he didn’t know if they had trackers in them.

He was pondering what he was going to do when Bartholomew shifted closer to him, not touching him but still closer. 

“You okay?” He asked.

The blond made a strangled noise and broke off into a cough, turning his head away until the bout passed. The strangled noise repeated itself and Hal realised that it was an attempt at speech that wasn’t going well. The choking noise was making Hal’s hair stand on end, he didn’t know if the lack of voice was because of the collar or if there was something else wrong, but he knew he needed to stop him from damaging himself further by trying to talk.

“Hey hey hey, quiet.” He ordered, “You’re hurting yourself more by doing that.”

Bartholomew flinched at the order and shrank back, moving away from Hal entirely. The Omega brought his hands up to wrap around his middle and Hal heard a sob from him.

“Shit, I’m sorry.” He apologized, moving towards him and grabbing onto his arms. “Hey, no, it’s okay, I’m sorry.”

Grabbing him turned out to be a mistake, Bartholomew went completely lax and cried harder. Frantically trying to calm him down, Hal pulled him closer and against his chest, shushing him.

“What the actual fuck did you do?”

Looking up, Hal saw John and Guy coming back from the convenience store with a few bags at their sides. Wally was trailing beside them, but he had stopped and was staring at his parent with wide, frightened eyes. John pushed his bags into Guy’s hands and hurried toward Hal and the sobbing Omega, hoping up onto the tailgate with them.

“Hal, what the hell did you do?” He asked.

“I snapped at him by accident, I think I scared him.” 

John looked at him with an ‘are you fucking me’ look. He ran a hand over his face and paused at his eyes.

“So let me get this straight, just so I know that I’m understanding.” He sighed, “You snapped at the Omega who we just watched get dragged across gravel by his Alpha, he started crying, and your solution was to grab him and restrain him against you so he can’t move at all. Do I have that right?”

“Yeah, that about sums it up.” Hal admitted, realising now that the entire thing was a stupid mistake on his part.

“You’re a goddamn idiot.” John sighed, “Go away. Let go of him and go away, go help Guy figure out the first aid kit or something, just go somewhere else.”

Hal obeyed, letting go of the trembling Omega and sliding off the tailgate. Guy was waiting for him at the hood of the truck with the first aid kits strewn out in front of him and the pup sitting on the hood with a bottle of water and a package of crackers. The other Alpha greeted him with a nod as he approached them and turned to the child on the hood, he handed Wally another bottle of water and lifted him under the arms, lowering him to the ground.

“Here Kiddo, why don’t you take that to your Daddy. Might make him feel a little better to have some water in him.” He suggested.

“Okay!” The kid chirped, hurrying over to the back of the truck and out of earshot of the two Alphas.

Once they were alone, Guy reached over and smacked him upside the head hard.

“You dickhead. How the hell did you screw up that badly?” He snapped, “We were only gone for twenty-five minutes.”

“It was an accident!” Hal defended himself, “He was trying to talk but I think his throat is damaged from that fucking collar Luthor had him wear. He was hurting himself trying and wouldn’t quit, so I told him to be quiet and then he started crying.”

“You ordered him to be quiet, you mean?”

“I guess, yeah.” Hal agreed, “But I wasn’t a dick about it! I don’t get why he started crying like that!”

Guy slammed his hand down on the hood of the truck. Ignoring the package of bandaids that slid to the ground as a result. The red haired Alpha turned to his teammate and snarled at him, both of their scents clashing and aggressive.

“Really? You don’t get why the battered Omega, whom in the past hour has had to deal with being forced to kneel on broken glass, been threatened with a group home, almost lost his pup to a shelter, and was given away to some jackass he’s never met before, might start crying when said jackass orders him to be quiet?” Guy growled, sarcasm dripping from his tone. “That nineteen-eighty nine dell computer loading screen you call a brain just can’t fathom why a stressed out Omega would start crying when the Alpha he’s been sold to orders him to shut up. That’s just too much for you, huh?”

Hal faltered, shame rising in him as he started thinking about it. He had known that Bartholomew was stressed out, he had smelt the fear on him and he knew he was in pain. He had also known that the blond Omega had taken a risk by moving closer to him, and Hal had shot him down by snapping at him like that, after promising that he was going to be gentle with him.

“Yeah, I guess that was a dumb move, wasn’t it?” Hal sighed, kicking himself.

“Yeah, it was. You should apologize to him when the boss lets you near him again.”

Hal nodded, biting his tongue. Guy stared him down for a few seconds and then nodded as well and went back to filling up the first aid kits with what they had gotten from the corner store. 

“What are you going to do with him?” Guy asked, keeping his eyes on the task at hand.

“I’m not entirely sure but for now I want to take him to Clark and Bruce’s place. He badly needs a doctor, but if I walk into a hospital with him, he’ll end up in a group home for sure.” Hal answered.

“Well you better call Bruce then, and ask him if you can bring two strangers into his home because he is going to castrate you if you show up unannounced.” Guy told him.

Hal nodded and pulled out his phone, stepping a few feet away from the truck to make his call in peace. Bruce was a very private person and didn’t like it when people showed up at his home unannounced, especially when strangers did it. So even though Hal doubted he would leave an injured Omega and his pup out in the cold, he called to let him in on the situation.

~~~~

Hal came back from making the phone call feeling relieved. As he had hoped, Bruce had been sympathetic to a fellow Omega in need and had agreed to take them in so Alfred could take a look at him. He had even offered to have Clark go fetch Leslie Thompson so that the Alpha would be out of the house when they arrived and so the doctor could bring extra supplies to help Bartholomew.

He had done his best to describe the injuries on the Omega over the phone, emphasising that his neck and legs were in the worst shape, and that something was wrong with his hole that was making him bleed. He had also described what Luthor had forced him to wear, going into almost disturbing detail about the collar he’d dragged the poor man around by. By the end, Bruce had told him to hurry up and get to the manor so Bartholomew could get treatment and his pup could get a meal and a warm bed.

“Bruce is cool, we’re good to take him to Gotham.” Hal announced when he got back to the hood of the truck.

“Great, better go tell John then, so he knows where we’re going.” Guy suggested.

“Good plan.” 

Hal stepped around the truck to the tailgate, knocking on the side of the truck to announce himself to the three in the truck bed. John turned to see who it was and narrowed his eyes when he recognized Hal. Wally was sitting in Bartholomews lap and looked over his dad’s shoulder to see the Alpha and waved at him before snuggling up to his dad and sat back down. Bartholomew didn’t turn at all, but when he caught Hal’s scent he stiffened and bowed his head. At some point while Hal was making the phone call, John had gotten a blanket from one of their bags and had wrapped it around the Omega to keep him warm and the man tugged it closer to him as Hal approached them.

“Hey guys!” He greeted, letting the relief he felt now that he had a next step seep into his scent.

Despite the calming smell he was emitting, Bartholomew shrunk down father and held Wally tighter. John gave him a pat on the back and glared at Hal, stopping the Alpha in his tracks.

“Careful Jordan.” He warned.

Hal stopped, backing up a few steps so they had space to breath. There were two empty water bottles next to the discarded toys and one that was three quarters full beside Bartholomew, so at least the Omega had had something to drink and had been able to compose himself.

“I just spoke to Bruce, he’s agreed to put us up for the evening so Bartholomew and Wally can get looked at and treated.” He relayed.

“So we’re heading to Gotham?” John asked.

“So we’re heading to Gotham.”

John nodded and hopped off the tailgate. 

“Great, why don’t you get these two settled into the cab while I get these,” He looked at the toys in the truck bed with disdain. “ _Things_ into a bag so we can drop them in the dumpster on our way by.”

The Beta deterred the few feet it took to get right into Hal’s space so he could lower his voice and only be heard by Hal.

“And you better have a damn good apology ready for making him cry like that.” He hissed, “For better or worse, you’re his guardian now and he’s scared. You need to gain his trust and ordering him around like he’s some dog you found on the street is not how you do it.”

The Beta stared him down until Hal nodded, leaving to grab one of the plastic bags to put the toys in. For privacy’s sake, he waited until John was out of earshot before he cautiously approached the two on the tailgate. Before he was even within arms reach, Bartholomew made a choking noise and started to shiver while holding his pup tighter, not promising for Hal at all.

“Hey.” Hal whispered, taking a seat on the tailgate.

Bartholomew lifted one hand off Wally’s back in a wave but didn’t lift his head to look at him. Hal swallowed hard and ran a hand through his hair, deciding that he should just go through with his apology and hope for the best.

“Listen, about earlier. I’m really sorry that I snapped at you like that, that wasn’t kind and it wasn’t fair. And I’m sorry that I just grabbed you like I did, that was wrong of me. You’re a human being and I shouldn’t have tried to just restrain you.” He murmured, “I know it’s not ideal, but you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together and I don’t want you to be scared of me. We’re going to go to a friend's place across the river, they know some doctors who can get you patched up without anybody from RGA asking you questions, are you okay with that?”

Bartholomew nodded, tilting his head towards Hal but keeping his face lowered. 

“Great, so to do that, I’m going to need to get you into the cab, and to do that, I’m going to need to pick you up. I know that you probably don’t want me or my scent all over you, but when I’m done, you’ll get to be in the warm truck and not out here in the wind.” 

Bartholomew nodded again and looked over his shoulder to the cab. Projecting what he was doing, Hal lifted Wally off his lap and set him on the ground so he could solely focus on the Omega. He fussed with the blanket a little, making sure the blond was well covered to keep him warm, then tugged the Omega closer with his arms under his knees and shoulder blades to lift him up. 

Bartholomew was concerningly light, his spine and ribs uncomfortably noticeable while Hal carried him to the backseat of the truck. They ran into Guy and John on the way, which wound up being helpful because they were able to open the door for him so he could set the Omega inside on the bench, shiting him to the middle seat and lifting Wally up to sit on the seat beside him. After buckling them in, he leaned out of the cab to call for Guy.

“Hey Guy, toss me the keys! I wanna warm these two up!”

He couldn’t see John but he could hear him burst out laughing while Guy rolled his eyes and threw him the keys. Hal pocketed them and shut the door, hurrying over to the drivers side and hoping in. When he had turned on the truck, he turned up the heat and the fan to warm up the truck.

“There, nice and toasty!” He declared, looking in the back and smiling at the pair. “And thank you for trusting me to carry you over here Bartholomew, I know that wasn’t easy. However, in my defense, it’s been a weird two weeks and I haven’t had time to shower properly, but I am sorry for the smell.”

The joke had the intended effect, Wally fell into hysterics, giggling and squealing at the self-own. Bartholomew was more controlled, a hitch of his breathing and a smile being the only betrayal to his humour, but it was better than nothing. Hal startled when he felt a smack on his back, turning to see Guy, ready to reclaim his seat.

“Back of the bus Jordan, next stop, Gotham.” he ordered, jerking his thumb to the back door.

Within seconds, Hal was on the seat beside Bartholomew, still fastening his seatbelt as the car started moving. The vehicle retraced the path they had taken to get into the shipping yard, only an hour ago but it felt like a month's events had happened in that time. They made a pitstop beside the dumpster, John leaning out of the open passenger window to toss the bag of toys into it without a glance, sliding back into the cab when they started moving again.

Hal did a quick check of his new wards, a responsibility he never thought he would ever have. Wally was staring out the window as they started driving towards the Metro-Gotham bridge, looking as though he hadn’t just been sold to a complete stranger and was going somewhere he had never been before. Bartholomew was more serious, hunched over staring at his bloody feet, wringing his hands and occasionally looking over at his pup. Neither were fine, how could they be, but his solace was that within two hours they would be somewhere safe, at least for a night. Then Hal could plan from there, his life had certainly just gotten far more complicated. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hal gets his new charges to Gotham for treatment.

Transfering from the road to Bruce’s driveway was far different than heading into the shipyard. It was seamless and easy, barely noticeable at all. Hal leaned around Guy’s seat to look ahead at the mansion they were approaching, in the two hours it had taken to get across the Metro-Gotham bridge, through Gotham and to the outskirts of the city, night had fallen and it would have been impossible to see the manor were it not for the lights shining out the windows. It was also raining, which wasn’t a surprise, it was always raining, dark, and cold in this city but Hal could not have been more grateful to be here.

During the trip, Wally had snuggled closer to his dad and fallen asleep with his head leaning against his shoulder. Bartholomew was much the same as he had been when they’d started, but he occasionally turned his head to give the pup a kiss on the head if Hal was turned the other way. When he saw the imposing house they were approaching, he started to shiver and his breathing picked up, the constant scent of fear on him becoming more prevalent to the others in the car.

“Hey, it’s okay, you’re okay.” Hal reassured, “This is our friend Bruce’s house, you’re safe here. Why don’t you wake up your pup so we can get ready to go inside.”

Nodding, Bartholomew gently shook Wally’s shoulder and gave him some kisses on the head when he started to wake up. The little boy came to with a whimper and squirmed closer to his Omega, a sweet scent filling the truck as he scented with him. Bartholomew returned it, though his scent was laced with the rotting smell of his injuries. If it hurt to scent, he didn’t care, Hal could hear him purring at his pup while the child stared at the grounds they were on in awe.

Guy pulled around a majestic water fountain to the stairs leading up to the front entrance, putting the truck in park and turning it off. The Alpha and Beta turned to the backseat, watching while Hal helped Wally and Bartholomew get unbuckled, though none of them made a move to step out into the rain.

“Okay, here’s my plan. Bartholomew, I’m going to pick you up and bring you out on this side. Wally, would you please follow me through this door so I can keep an eye on you? The front door isn’t too far away from here, so we’re just going to hurry and you two shouldn’t get too wet, alright?”

When Hal got nods from the both of them, he started moving Bartholomew into his lap, tucking his blanket around him tighter. With the middle seat now vacated, Wally moved into it, wriggling while he waited for his new guardian to open the door so they could get out.

“Hey Jordan, it’s pretty windy out there, so I’ll come get the door for you.” Guy offered.

“Thanks man.”

Guy nodded and pushed the door open against the elements, hoping down from the truck and shutting the door with a loud slam. Not five seconds later, the backdoor opened letting in a rush of cold air. Steeling himself, Hal carefully got out with the trembling Omega in his arms, Wally following them and being helped down by Guy.

The four moved towards the front door, John racing around the truck to join them as they started up the stairs. Bartholomew had stopped purring, holding the blanket tight against him with his head bowed, raindrops running down through his hair. Hal could hear Wally sniffle and whimper by his side as he was battered by the wind and rain, feeling his heart twist for the pup as they approached the front door.

Before they even had a chance to knock, the oak door opened and Alfred greeted them, looking over the ragtag group and freezing when he got to the Omega. Somehow, Bartholomew looked worse now than he had at the shipyard, his short hair was plastered to his scalp, the blood from the cuts had run because of the rain and made more of his hair that odd pinkish colour. His legs were a similar story, blood and rain water dripping down his shins and off his feet, not protected by the blanket. Stepping to the side, Alfred ushered them inside.

“My heavens.” He whispered, “Bring him inside, quickly.”

Gratefully, Hal stepped through the door and into the mudroom, looking down to make sure that Wally was still by his side. With the whole group inside, Alfred closed the door behind them, shutting out the elements. As Hal was readjusting Bartholomew in his arms, Bruce appeared around the corner and hurried towards him, focused on the Omega he was holding.

“You weren’t kidding about him being banged up.” He stated, looking over his ruined legs. “Clark has gone to get Leslie, but we can get started now.”

The haste was welcomed and Hal worked to match their pace, using his ring to untie his boots and step out of them, as well as move them under the bench. He followed Alfred down a labyrinth of hallways and sitting rooms until they came to a well lit, sterile room with a hospital gurney in the center and multiple locked cabinets around the walls, along with a few chairs. On Alfred’s instructions, he set the Omega on the gurney while the old Alpha rolled up his sleeves and started gathering supplies.

When he had what he needed to get started, Alfred gently pried the blanket from Bartholomews grasp and pushed it into Hal’s hands, who folded it and put it on the bed. With his injuries and skin exposed, Alfred started to wipe at his neck with an alcohol-soaked wipe. As soon as it touched his skin, Bartholomew flinched and hissed, trying to shift away from the sting of the wipe on his sore neck.

To Hal’s surprise, Alfred obliged and pulled the cloth away from his neck, letting the Omega move away from him and cover his neck with his hand. He had been treated by the older man before, as had most of the league, and no one had ever been able to get away with refusing care. Alfred placed the cloth on the tray he had beside him and turned to Hal, pointing to the door that led to the hallway and guiding him out of the room, out of Bruce and Bartholomew’s earshot.

“What’s wrong Al?” He asked, worry making a pit in his stomach.

“I’m concerned that I cannot treat his injuries by myself.” He confessed, “The lacerations on his neck are horribly infected and incredibly painful, as you just saw. Master Clark is on his way with Dr. Thompson, and she’s bringing stronger painkillers than I have on deck here. I believe our best course of action would be to wait for her to get here before we precede.”

Before Hal could take that in properly, Bruce stepped through the door and joined them.

“Hal, I think you need to go talk to him, he’s freaking out a little.” Bruce said, “He can’t speak, so I’m going to go find a pen and paper for him so he can communicate better, but you should go help him while I get that.”

Hal heard Alfred curse under his breath as he rushed back into the room. Bartholomew was sitting on the gurney with his knees drawn up to his chest and had his face buried in them, he was trembling and crying and Hal could smell his fear and sadness from across the room. 

“Oh dear.” He whispered to himself.

Adopting a calming presence, Hal slowly crossed the room and sat down on the gurney beside him. Cautiously, he placed a hand on the Omega’s back, surprised when he uncurled and flung himself at him, clinging to his lapel and burying his face in his shirt.

“Hey, it’s okay!” He promised, embracing the man and rubbing his back. “I know, it’s been a really weird day, but you’re safe now. Go ahead and cry it out, I’ve got you.”

Getting comfortable, Hal pulled him closer and into his lap. He could feel the goosebumps on Bartholomew’s skin so he retrieved the blanket and wrapped it around them, moving his hand around on his back to warm him up. 

“There, that’s a little better, right? Not so cold anymore.” He murmured, “You’re alright, Bruce had gone to get you something to write on, then maybe we can help you feel better. There’s a doctor on her way with something to help with your pain so we can get you treated without hurting you, then we can get you into some actual clothes and get a warm meal for you. That’ll make you feel better.”

Bartholomew nodded into his shirt, sniffling. Hal cheered in his mind, proud of himself for handling this better than he had the first time he had started crying, thankfully this time it wasn’t his fault. At least the man was starting to settle down, pulling his face away from Hal’s shirt to wipe his eyes.

“There we go, well done.” Hal praised, brushing his thumbs under his eyes to catch the tears.

Bartholomew dipped his head forward towards Hal’s chest but not resting against him anymore. Deciding to take a chance, Hal cupped the back of his head and brought him in closer, laying his head against him. For a moment, Bartholomew just stayed still, then he shifted and tucked his nose against Hal’s scent gland, getting comfortable in his arms.

Hal stayed with the Omega in his arms like that until he smelt Bruce entering the room. The owner of the house had brought a bundle of clothing, a bottle of water, and a notepad with a pen. For a moment, Hal worried that he was emitting too many pheromones and making the room uncomfortable for him to be in, but then he stepped further into the room and placed the items he’s brought on the gurney.

“I wondered if he would be cold. I brought a warm shirt, a zip up hoodie, and a warmer skirt for him to wear. I hope they fit him.”

Hal nodded his thanks, trying to suppress his scent so he didn’t make Bruce uncomfortable. Bartholomew shifted in his lap and looked over at the things the other Omega had brought for him with interest. Given the thing he was currently wearing, Hal figured that he’d never been allowed to wear anything modest during his time with Luther and the clothing Bruce had brought were certainly modest.

“Alfred said not to give him anything that would need to be pulled over his injuries, so just be careful getting the skirt on him.” Bruce said. “They’re fresh out of the dryer, so they shouldn’t smell too much like Clark.”

“Excellent, thank you Bruce, I really appreciate it.” Hal thanked him.

Bruce nodded and left without another word, leaving Hal alone to get Bartholomew changed. When the door was firmly closed, Bartholomew tucked his nose back against Hal’s gland, a small purr sounding from his throat. Hal smiled and laughed a little, rubbing his back.

“Okay you, how about we get you changed, then we can go find your pup and go wait for the doctor in the living room, how does that sound?” He asked.

Bartholomew nodded, purring louder. Hal shifted him off his lap and back onto the gurney, the blanket falling into a pile with no one under it to keep it up. Hal started by figuring out which article of clothing was which, separating them so he could grab them easily. The skirt had a zipper running up the side with two sets of clasps at the waistband to keep it in place, so he unzipped it to get it ready.

With the new clothes ready, all he needed to do was get the skirt Bartholomew already had on, off. Given that it was only a wrap around, it wasn’t difficult to get off and the other man wasn’t wearing any undergarments, so he was completely naked in a matter of seconds. To get him dressed, Hal started with the skirt, carefully guiding his bloody shins in and then pulling it up to his waist and doing up the zipper and clasps. 

The skirt was black and simple yet elegant. It hung down to Bartholomews knee’s, on Bruce it would probably be skin tight but given how skinny Bartholomew was, it barely clung to his hips. Still, it was far better than the unfolded napkin he’d been wearing before, warm and made of much softer material. The shirt was easier to get on, Hal didn’t have to lift him at the waist to help him get it on, he just let him get the thing on and then buttoned it up for him. He finished by helping Bartholomew get the hoodie on and zipped up, and by the end he looked much more comfortable.

“There we go, well done.” He praised, watching the Omega touch and feel the new things he had on him.

Bartholomew was still purring, holding up the collar of his sweater and burying his face in the fleece. Hal smiled while he watched him, feeling amused that he was getting confident enough to move around a little on his own, not just sit like a statue and let the Alpha move him around. Grabbing the notepad, pen, and water bottle off the mattress, Hal handed the writing pad to him, the water bottle following after he had loosened the cap a bit.

“You can write?” He asked.

Bartholomew bent over the paper, scribbling something on the first page, then turned it back to him.

/Yes, I can Alpha./

Hal laughed, nodding. He was glad that Bartholomew’s writing was tidy and easy to read, that would make it so much easier to understand him. Figuring he had a few minutes to get to know the Omega he now had legal control over, Hal sat back down and asked him another question.

“What’s your name?” He asked. 

He already knew his name, but he wanted to start with some easy questions to help build his confidence. Bartholomew went back to the paper for a few seconds, paused, looked over what he’d written for a moment, wrote something else, and then handed the paper to Hal.

/Bartholomew, but I like to go by Barry. If you are happy with that Alpha/” 

“Barry, that’s a nice name.” Hal said, handing the paper back to him. “Less of a mouthful than Bartholomew at least.”

Bartholomew, Barry, smiled while he took the paper back. Hal noticed that Barry was starting to lift his head a little more, looking at him but still not making eye contact with him.

“Okay Barry, where are you from?”

Scribbling, this time Hal focused on what he could see of Barry’s face. Without a doubt, he was very handsome, with fair features, pink lips, and a little button nose. He was very skinny, but Hal suspected that when he was properly fed and had more meat on him that he would be drop dead gorgeous. He was distracted from staring at the man when he was handed his response.

/I was born and raised in Keystone, it’s a villa outside of Central Alpha./

“Central, that’s in Missouri, isn’t it?” He asked.

Barry nodded, taking his notepad back from his Alpha.

“Well, you’re quite aways from home. Have you got any family, anybody you want me to get into contact with?” He asked.

Barry went still, staring down at his paper. He stared at the blank space on his page, picking up and putting down his pen a few times as he tried to think of his response. Finally, he put pen to paper and handed it over with just two words.

/No Alpha./

Hal frowned at the response and handed the paper back. This beautiful Omega, who had a child and was a long way from home, didn’t have anybody missing him? Nobody who may be looking for him or wondering where he was? Or had he had a falling out with his family and didn’t want to see them?

“You don’t have anybody you want me to find for you? No siblings, no parents, aunts, uncles, no one?” He pushed. “No one who might be looking for you?”

Barry’s response was even slower this time, stopping sometimes to wipe at his face. Finally he handed Hal his answer.

/Mom’s dead. Dad’s gone. I grew up in foster care. No one is looking for me Alpha./

That explained it, or at least cleared it up. Given the difference of descriptions he had used for his mom and dad, Hal suspected that there were some complications regarding that relationship. As for growing up in foster care, that was hard to come to terms with, Omega’s in foster care were almost certain to be abused, probably further adding to his mistrust of Hal. 

The foster care system was well known for turning out broken Omega’s and violent Alpha’s, given the lack of proper guidance they were given. Hal had been treated to the displeasure of meeting a few Alpha’s who had come from the foster shelters in Basics, all of them were overly aggressive and usually loners, they had no respect for Omega’s and were prone to dirty fighting. He had gotten into an altercation with a fellow Alpha in his squadron after she had cornered and harassed an Omega into having a drink with her, Hal had dragged her away and called the Omega a cab to get home. He couldn’t imagine being an Omega and being forced to live with people like that, who believed that an accident of biology gave them the right to use their influence to bully someone into giving into their will.

“I’m sorry to hear that Barry.” He whispered, “If you ever want to talk about that, I’d be happy to listen.”

Barry swallowed hard and nodded, taking a drink of his water. Hal suspected he was only doing that so he wouldn’t be asked anymore questions.

“Would you like a hug?” Hal asked when the cap was back on the water bottle.

Barry nodded and leaned into him. Hal brought his new ward into his lap and held him close, feeling Barry press his nose back against his gland and stay there. Hal wasn’t sure how he smelled to the Omega, but obviously it was somewhat pleasant if he kept putting his nose there. While Barry calmed down, Hal decided he was done with the questions. The doctor would be there soon and he had promised that Barry would be able to see his pup before she got there. He would have time to talk to Barry and get to know him later.

“Would you like to go find your pup?” He asked, his nose buried in Barry’s hair.

Barry shifted in his arms and Hal heard writing behind him. After a second, the man in his arms twisted and pressed the notepad into his hand.

/Yes please Alpha./

“Okay.” Hal said, giving the paper back. “Let’s go find Wally and we can just settle in and wait for the doctor to get here.”

Hal adjusted Barry in his arms and stood up. He felt Barry curl and press his face back into his neck, his hands folded over his stomach to hold the paper and pen in place. He knew he would have to get Barry off calling him ‘Alpha’ but that would have to wait till later, right now, he needed to track down a tiny pup in a huge house.

It wound up not being difficult at all. The pair bumped into Bruce in the hallway and he led them to the kitchen in the basement/ servants sector. Alfred had found Wally with John and Guy and had brought him to the kitchen for a meal, the pup was sitting at the kitchen island with a peanut butter and banana sandwich and a glass of milk in front of him. When he spotted Barry in Hal’s arms, he started smiling and wiggling.

“Daddy!” He chirped, waving at them.

Barry lifted his face from Hal’s neck and waved back at his son. Alfred turned to address the Omega with a fond look, using his grandfatherly voice to put him at ease.

“I hope you don’t mind, I figured that you hadn’t had dinner yet and I just cannot have hungry people under this roof.” He said, “He told me that you always make him peanut butter and banana sandwiches when you’re able, and I just figured he needed some comfort food after the day you’ve both had.”

Barry nodded and smiled, looking at his baby smiling while he ate his sandwich, cut into quarters with the crusts cut off, just how he liked. Wally’s feet couldn’t reach the floor and he was kicking them while he ate and drank. It was the first time in recent memory that he had been with Wally while the pup had a meal.

“Would you like something to eat?” The old Alpha asked, “We have some leftover roast beef, pasta, and some turkey stew. Do any of those interest you?”

Barry twisted to face Hal, writing frantically in his notebook. Hal was amused, imagining that the starved Omega was ecstatic at the offer of something to eat. He was disappointed and confused by what he read when the book was turned towards him.

/I’m only allowed to eat formula and shakes Alpha./ 

Hal knew what he was referring to, Omega Formula and Nutrition Shakes were quite common, especially in hospitals. They were meant to be accompanied with actual solid foods and were often consumed by Omega’s for the vitamins or for extra nutrients while pregnant. They were also used by Alphas who wanted to have another form of control over their mates, if given nothing except formula and shakes for any prolonged period of time, it could cause shrinkage of the stomach and made it difficult to switch back to solid foods.

“Is there something wrong, Master Harold?” Alfred asked, picking up on his emotional shift.

“He’s exclusively on shakes and formula.” He responded curtly.

“Oh dear.”

“How long?” Hal asked the Omega, “How long have you been off of solid foods?”

Barry started writing again, hurried by the disappointment he could smell on the Alpha holding him. Hal bounced him, holding him tighter against him. When he finally tuned the notebook around, Hal silently cursed.

/Five years Alpha/

“He’s been on them for five years.” Hal relayed with a growl.

Wally and Barry both flinched, the pup went back to his meal with far less enthusiasm while Barry closed his eyes and went still. Alfred tsked, a rare display of emotion from the normally composed man.

“So we can’t just switch him back over to solids, he’ll need those supplements.” 

“Yeah.” Hal agreed, “I don’t suppose you have any packages of Omega Formula around here, do you?”

“No, we don’t. But I can contact Master Clark and ask him to make a pit stop to pick some up on his way.” Alfred suggested.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I would really appreciate that.” 

Alfred turned away and pulled a phone out of an inner pocket, stepping out into the hallway to make the phone call. When he was gone, Hal worked to ease Barry and Wally’s nerves, starting with Barry. He held the man closer in what he hoped was comforting and purred, letting the Omega feel the rumble in his chest.

“I’m sorry, I know I sounded mad but I promise, I'm not angry at you or Wally.” He whispered.

Barry stayed still, eyes shut tight and his hands wringing again. He could see the man's lips moving but he wasn’t making that choking noise that came out when he usually tried to speak. Hal wanted to push a calming scent to the Omega, let that help him, but it would be irritating for Bruce to have a calm scent from someone who wasn’t his Alpha, so he just kept talking.

“Hey, Barry, I swear it’s not you I’m angry at. I’m angry that someone forced you onto that mush, not that you need it.” He swore, “Listen, Alfred is calling Clark to grab you some shakes and formula, so you will be fed tonight, I swear. I’m not just going to let you starve.”

Barry forcibly opened his eyes and wrote something down, his hands shaking the entire time. When he’d finished, he timidly held it up for the Alpha to read, avoiding looking at him the whole time.

/I’m sorry Alpha. Mercy please Alpha/

His handwriting was no longer neat, some of the letters had gaps in them or were misshapen because of how shaky Barry’s hands had been when he wrote them. 

/Damn, John is gonna kill me/ Hal thought to himself, knowing that if he drove the Omega into another anxious fit, the Beta was going to neuter him.

“No no no, Barry, don’t be sorry.” He pleaded, “It’s not your fault, you have nothing to be sorry for, my Omega.”

The term seemed to settle Barry somewhat, he took his paper back and held it against his chest like a child clung to a toy. He turned his head to look at his pup, who was drinking the last of his milk after he’d finished his sandwich. Hal pushed the chair beside him away and leaned against the counter, trying to get comfortable to help the man he was carrying relax. 

Alfred came back into the room, getting Hal’s attention.

“Excellent news, I managed to catch Master Clark when he was not five minutes away from a super store. He and Dr. Thompson have agreed to run in and grab some supplies, should only take a few minutes and they should be here in fifteen minutes or less.” He announced, turning to take Wally’s empty dishes. “For now though, Master Harold, why don’t you take your charges to the parlor, I imagine that will be a more comfortable place to wait.”

“Thank you Alfred.” He said, turning to address Wally. “Hey pup, why don’t you follow me. We can wait for the doctor to get here up in the sitting room.”

Wally nodded and clamoured down from his chair, hurrying over to follow Hal through the winding hallways, up a stairway, and down a corridor to a large sitting room with a roaring fire in it’s hearth. There was a vast array of couches, armchairs, and automans, as well as multiple coffee tables with coasters and decorative centerpieces in strategic locations throughout the room.

Hal chose a loveseat close to the fire and sat down with Barry in his lap, picking Wally up and placing the pup right beside him. Because of the way they were sitting, Barry and Wally were able to see each other, and if Barry sat up he could reach Wally to touch him, but Hal stopped the pup from trying to crawl into his dad’s lap. He knew it would help calm the pup down but he was worried that a wiggly child would irritate Barry’s various injuries and the Omega wouldn’t say anything about it, so he pushed Wally back into a sitting position when he tried to get closer.

“I know pup, you wanna be with your Daddy, but he’s a little banged up right now and I don’t want you to hurt him.” Hal explained, tucking the little boy under his arm.

“He’s always banged up!” Wally protested with a pout, “And he’s always let me sit in his lap!”

Before Hal could try to reason with him, Barry sat straight up in his lap, reached over to his son, smacked him lightly on the arm, and firmly placed three fingers over his lips. There was an air of urgency in his movements and he was giving Wally the ‘I’m disappointed in you’ look that every parent under the damn sun had down pat, and Hal was impressed that there was some silent discipline happening.

He supposed it wasn’t really that surprising, he had no idea how often or for how long Barry had been forced to wear a gag or a muzzle, so he must have figured out a way to communicate with his son without being able to speak. It also made sense that he would have found ways to convey disappointment and apply corrections in a similar way, such as placing his fingers over the child's mouth or the smack, which he figured was mostly to get his attention, not to cause pain because the pup hadn’t yelped. 

After a few seconds, Barry moved his hand away from the boy’s lips and picked up his pen and paper, hastily writing on the surface. When he was done, he handed it to Hal and bowed his head low.

/I’m sorry for his behaviour Alpha. Please forgive him, he is still learning./

Of course, there was also that. Hal could see that there had been physical abuse dealt to Barry, mostly because he hadn’t had much covering him when they’d met, but he didn’t know much about Wally. The little boy didn’t seem to be having any troubles moving or speaking, he had been wearing appropriate shoes and clothes for the season that covered most of him, and Hal couldn’t see any bruises or marks on him, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been hurt. Growing up knowing it was just a matter of time before your parent got hurt must have been terribly stressful, and if Barry was so quick to beg forgiveness on his behalf, Hal could guess that there had at least been threats of violence towards the boy.

“It’s okay, he’s fine. I get that he’s had a hard day and he just wants to be close to you.” Hal reassured, addressing them both. “Once both of you have been looked at by the doctor, I swear that you can have some more time together, right now I just don’t want to do more damage.”

Both of his charges seemed to relax at his assurance that he wasn’t angry with either of them, Barry leaning his head against his shoulder and breathing out a sigh of relief. Wally shifted and curled into his side, placing his hand on Hal’s chest.

“Thank you Alpha.” He whispered.

Hal nodded, pulling the pup closer to him and giving him a squeeze. He did the same with Barry, briefly resting his chin on top of his head. When he pulled back, he decided to talk about the term they used to address him.

“You can just call me by my name Wally, you don’t have to call me ‘Alpha’, Hal is fine.” He told the pup. “Barry, you too. You don’t have to formally address me every time you want to speak with me.”

Neither responded, Wally looked over him to look at his dad, Barry just stayed against his shoulder. Whatever, he wasn’t really hung up on it, the two would be staying with him for the foreseeable future and beyond, he could work on it more later. For now, he just held them close and let them relax while they waited for Clark and Dr. Thompson to arrive, with the late hour, Wally was starting to doze off against him.

“Who’re you?” 

Barry and Wally startled and jumped, looking at the doorway where the voice had come from. Hal recognized the raven-haired pup standing at the entrance of the room, looking at the three with curiosity. He was clad in his pajamas, holding onto a stuffed elephant, and his hair was tousled, so Hal suspected he was supposed to be in bed, not roaming the hallways. The pup rushed over to the loveseat and started talking at Barry and Wally, making the red-haired pup lean further into Hal’s embrace and hide his face, not seeming at all interested in the other child.

“Who’re you?” He asked again, looking at the two people he’d never seen before. “Why are you here? Why do you smell so weird?”

Hal smiled at his nephew but held his charges closer to him. Wally was trying his best to avoid any contact with the other kid, even whimpering a little when he got too close. He wanted to try to distract him into focusing on something other than the new Omega and pup on the couch when Bruce came into the room.

“Dick, I thought I put you to bed already.” He sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe.

“But there’s new people here!” Dick whined, waving his arm towards the guests and making Wally hide his face completely. “And they smell really funny.” 

“Don’t be rude!” He chastised, coming over to the sofa and picking his son up.

The raven-haired pup didn’t even flinch at the disappointed tone from his dad, nuzzling under his chin to cuddle. Bruce rolled his eyes and hugged him, crouching down so he was in front of the three on the couch.

“Barry, Wally, this is my son; Dick.” He introduced, “I’m sorry he bothered you, he’s supposed to be in bed right now.”

“No, I don’t wanna be in bed!” Dick whined, squirming to crawl out of his dad’s hold.

Bruce shook his head and caught his son, holding him firm against his chest. Wally was still hiding in Hal’s shirt, every part of him screaming ‘I don’t want this person near me’ except for his actual voice. Barry reached across Hal and put a hand on his head, running his fingers through his hair and gave Bruce a small smile and waved at him. The other Omega smiled at him and carried his own kid over to another couch, giving Barry and Wally plenty of space to breath without another excitable pup bouncing around.

“You can stay up, but you need to be nice and respectful to our guests.” He told his pup, holding him and his stuffie on his lap.

Dick grinned and snuggled into him, tucking his nose into Bruce’s neck and nuzzling his scent gland. Hal felt his nose twitch as the two scented, catching Clarks scent from both of them, letting him know that the two belonged to him. Dick was whelped to Bruce, something Clark and Bruce had agreed to do after they had adopted him. The process wasn’t dangerous, but it could be stressful, especially for the Alpha. Both the Omega and the pup would be bedridden for a few weeks to a month, both emitting pheromones that sent the Alpha into an overprotective frenzy, then the pups stomach would soften under their belly button and the Alpha and Omega could properly claim them. Afterwards, the whelped pup would smell like their Omega without having to scent, though many still did, just because it made both feel safe and reassured of the relationship.

Wally slowly emerged from Hal’s shirt but didn’t acknowledge the other pup at all, he just grabbed onto Barry’s hand and leaned his face into it. Hal tucked them both close and adjusted Barry so he could pull Wally up onto his lap, allowing them to be closer to each other, even though he was worried about Barry’s legs. Bruce gave Barry’s legs a sympathetic look.

“Clark shouldn’t be longer than a few minutes now.” He said.

Hal nodded his thanks, feeling Barry shift and try to relax. He knew that the Omega was in pain, he could smell it on him and see it in his body movements. He really hoped that the doctor had some heavy painkillers in her bag, Barry was going to need them when his injuries got cleaned.

Five minutes later, Wally was sleeping against Hal’s chest with Barry’s hand on his shoulder. Dick was almost out too, holding his elephant close to his chest and laying still on the couch with Bruce. That left only Hal, Bruce and Barry awake when Clark and Dr. Thompson came in.

Clark was carrying a few shopping bags brimming with various items, what Hal could see was very practical, personal hygiene items like a toothbrush, a hair brush, a loofa, and a razor. Dr. Thompson was carrying two black bags, which smelt like a doctors office. The newcomers immediately set eyes on the Omega and pup on Hal’s lap and rushed over, Dr. Thompson stared at the injuries on Barry’s body with barely concealed horror.

With Clark rushing them, Barry started to panic. He lowered his head and pulled his arms behind his back, adopting a very submissive position. Clark, ever the gentleman, recognized that he was frightening the Omega and halted, taking a knee to make himself less imposing to him.

“Hey.” He greeted quietly, holding out his hand. “I’m Clark, I’m Bruce’s mate. You must be Bartholomew.”

Barry took both hands from behind his back and took Clarks hand, pressing his forehead to the back of it. Clark blushed and looked at Hal with confusion, the other Alpha shrugged at him. Bowing over an Alpha’s hand was widely considered to be outdated and was only really used in conservative churches and in some very small communities where modern era rights hadn’t quite reached. Clark lightly pulled his hand, letting Barry release his hand before taking it back completely, grabbing the bags he’s brought and placing them at Hal’s feet.

“I gave the formula and shakes to Alfred, he’s making some up for him now, but here’s the other stuff I grabbed him.” He said, “I just grabbed some necessities, things no one really wants to share; socks, some underwear, soap, toothbrush, hairbrush, and some basic nesting materials.”

“Thank you, Clark, that’s very generous.” Hal thanked.

Barry nodded timidly and slowly rested his head back against Hal with his eyes downcast and his mouth shut. Clark nodded and stood, moving over to his mate and pup, collapsing on the couch next to them and holding them close, leaving only Dr. Thompson near Hal, Barry and Wally.

“Hello Bartholomew, I’m Dr. Leslie Thompson and I’m going to be taking care of you and your pup this evening.”

She didn’t offer her hand, likely not wanting him to bow to it like he had done with Clark, instead she put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“He likes to go by Barry.” Hal informed her, shifting Barry in preparation to stand up.

“Barry? That’s a nice name, and your pup is called Wally?” She asked.

Barry nodded, brushing his hand over Wally’s cheek, making the boy stir in his sleep.

“Alright Barry, I need to take a look at both you and your pup. Alfred has told me which room we’re going to be doing this in, would you mind waking your pup so he can follow us to get a check up?”

Nodding again, Barry moved until he could gently shake Wally’s shoulders until he opened his eyes. Once he was awake, Wally quickly realised that there was another Alpha in the room, turning to the couch where Clark was sitting and curling back up against Hal. He tucked the pup under his arm, and drew his attention to the doctor in front of his dad.

“Hello Wally, I’m Dr. Thompson. I’m going to give you and your daddy a quick check up just to make sure you’re healthy.” She greeted, “If you would just follow me, we’ll go and get you looked at and then you can go to bed.”

Wally looked up at Hal and nodded, rubbing his eyes and standing up. Hal stood up with Barry in his arms, waiting for Wally to stand up as well before he and Dr. Thompson started walking towards the hallway. Unfortunately, Wally was still waking up and wasn’t very coordinated, tripping and falling to his hands and knees after only a handful of steps. Hal stoppe in his tracks when Wally fell, as did Leslie, Barry made a noise of concern in his arms and shifted to try and see his pup. 

On the sofa, Bruce handed Dick off to Clark and got up. He knelt beside the red-haired pup and picked him up, settling him on his hip, and following Hal and Leslie down the hallway. Wally kept an eye on his dad while they walked, straining to see around corners when Barry briefly left his field of vision.

Leslie led them to the room Hal had brought Barry to when they’d first arrived, Alfred waiting for them by the gurney with a glass full of Nutrient Shake. Bruce set Wally down on the gurney and stepped back, Leslie set her bags down on two of the chairs she had dragged over to the gurney, and Hal sat down with Barry on his lap. When the pair was settled, Alfred pressed the glass of Nutrition Shake into Barry’s hand, complete with a metal straw so he could drink it easily.

“Alright, since Barry’s still having part of his supper, why don’t we start with Wally?” Dr. Thompson suggested.

Barry nodded, sipping on his shake. Hal agreed as well, giving the doctor the go ahead to start her check up. 

She started by having Wally strip down to his undergarments and taking his measurements, having him stand on a scale and using a measuring tape to record his height. After that, she checked Wally’s senses, looking in his mouth and ears as well as having him smell different scents and identify them. Then she checked his stomach, pressing her fingers down on his tummy, making sure she couldn’t feel any damage or scar tissue under his skin. 

Overall, the checkup didn’t take that long and was over within fifteen minutes. When it was over, Bruce wrapped him in the blanket Hal had accidentally abandoned there, picking him up and carrying him over to Barry.

“If you don’t mind Barry, I’m going to take him to get a bath and find some pajamas for him to wear. Are you okay with that?”

Barry nodded, giving Wally a kiss on his head and cupped his cheek. Wally gave him a hug, kissing him on the cheek and waving as he was carried away. 

When the pair was gone and the door was firmly shut, it was time for Barry’s treatment. Hal set him on the gurney and backed up, retreating back to his seat. The doctor and Alfred discussed among themselves for a second, then ultimately decided to start with his legs and work up to his neck. While Dr. Thompson filled a syringe with a local anesthetic, Barry hitched up the skirt he was wearing, fisting the material as the needle pushed into his skin and the serum went in, whimpering when his other leg was numbed.

With his legs numbed, Dr. Leslie and Alfred started cleaning out the injuries rapidly, picking out bits of grit and pieces of the broken bottle he had knelt on. When they were cleaned, Leslie started giving the injuries that needed stitches, stitches, while Alfred applied salve and bandages to those that didn’t. They finished by wrapping his legs in gauze from his feet to his knees and secured it in place with metal pins.

Next came Barry’s neck, which was numbed by the same drug that had been used on his legs. Cleaning the injuries on his neck was very different, the lacerations were very infected and full of pus and bacteria, which needed to be drained before they could be properly treated. Hal had a strong stomach, but he had to turn away when he saw the pus running down Barry’s neck and dripping off the clothes they were using. They wound up needing to give Barry another dose of painkillers as the first dose wasn’t working properly. None of his injuries were in need of stitches but they needed to be treated with what Alfred called ‘fancy polysporin’ and bandaged carefully. Bruce slipped back into the room right when they finished up on Barry’s neck, which Hal couldn’t have been more grateful for when Leslie announced what was needed next.

“Barry, I would like to do an internal examination to access the damage done to your hole.”

Hal immediately stood up to leave the room, knowing that his presence was going to make an already awkward situation worse, making sure the door was shut tight behind him.

With Hal out of the way, Bruce and Alfred helped Barry take off his skirt and lay on his back with his legs up in detachable stirrups. Dr. Thompson put on fresh latex gloves and applied gel to her fingers. Barry shifted and bit his lip when three fingers pushed past his rim and moved around inside of him, checking his inner walls.

“Okay, I am feeling a few tears and cuts Barry. Nothing too serious that won’t heal on its own, but I don’t want you having any sort of penetrative intercourse or masterbation. I also want you to be careful when you clean down here, only use gentle soap and a clean washcloth, okay?” Dr. Thompson told the Omega, pulling her fingers out.

Barry had his eyes closed tight and was blushing badly but he gave a thumbs up to the doctor. With the internal exam done, Leslie started to check his perineum checking for lumps or damage. When she was done, she wiped away any leftover gel and Bruce helped him sit up and get his skirt back on. After being dressed, Barry was surprised when Alfred was shooed out of the room and Leslie handed him his pen and notepad.

“Barry, I’m going to ask you some questions that may make you upset. I know that these will be difficult, but I want you to know that nothing you tell me will leave this room, I am bound by the hippocratic oath and I cannot tell anybody what you tell me, alright?” She started.

Barry looked frantically between Bruce and the doctor, nervously nodding and holding his paper closer.

“Okay, when did you adopt Wally?” She asked.

Barry froze, swallowing hard and shaking his head. It took him a moment but he started writing quickly, pushing it into her hands.

/Wally is mine./

“I know he is.” Leslie agreed, handing the paper back. “But you didn’t have him yourself. I just checked your perineum Dear, and I saw no signs of a birthing canal ever forming or closing back up after birth, so you did not have him yourself.”

The Omega licked his lips, shaking his head futilely for a few seconds, then, he accepted that he was caught and dropped his head into his hands, crying. Bruce sat next to him, wrapping his arm around the fellow Omega and trying to comfort him. Barry choked, striking himself hard on the side of his head, only to be grabbed by the doctor to stop him from doing that. He grabbed his pen and wrote furiously, giving the doctor a plea.

/Please don’t tell my Alpha, please! He’ll take my pup, he’ll send my baby to a shelter./  
  
“Hey, easy now! Take a deep breath, you and your pup are safe.” Leslie soothed him, “Barry, I swear to you, no one is going to take Wally away from you. All I want to know is when you adopted him.”

Barry just kept crying and shook his head. Bruce rubbed his back and got his attention, helping him wipe his face with a clean cloth.

“I know it’s hard to tell, but Dick is adopted. He’s whelped to my mate and I, but he’s not related to either of us by blood. One of our friends, who’s basically a brother to Hal, also has an adopted son who’s whelped to them, and another friend of ours is going through the adoption process now. My mate was adopted by his parents and loves his mother very much and Alfred raised me alone after my parents died.” Bruce informed him kindly, “Our pack has always been very accepting of adoption and chosen family, including Hal. He may be a knucklehead, an adrenaline junkie, and prone to putting his foot in his mouth, but he has the best of intentions and he would never try to separate you and your puppy.”

That calmed him down, at least a little bit. He sat up more and wiped away his tears with his palms, then accepted his writing utensils back from the doctor. He wrote slowly with precision, occasionally having to stop to catch his tears. He put his pen down and started at what he wrote and hesitantly passed it to Dr. Thompson.

/I’ve been his caretaker since he was 2 ⅕ years old, after his parents died in an auto accident. I’m the only dad he’s ever known and I’ve always tried to do the best for him. I can’t have kids of my own, that’s why my Alpha got rid of me. Please don’t tell my Alpha./

Leslie handed the paper back, smiling at him to reassure him. Bruce pressed his forehead against the side of Barry’s head, letting him breath.

“Barry, I promise that this conversation will never leave this room. If you would like, you can rip that sheet you’ve been writing on off and give it to me, I’ll throw it in the fire on my way out.” Leslie offered.

The noise of ripping paper filled the room as Barry tore the page out of the notebook, crumbled it up, and handed it to the doctor. She slipped it into her pocket and patted it to assure him that it was there. Next, she started discussing the treatment needed for his neck.

“Barry, your scent glands have deep, infected lacerations over them and the infection has spread to the glands themselves. Every time you emit any scent, you reopen those wounds and make them worse. To treat that, I need to temporarily freeze your glands.” She said, “Your vocal cords have similar damage, and the treatment for that is very similar. I have the medication here to administer the treatment and, with your permission, I’d like to give it to you.”

Barry wrote fast and gave her a question.

/How do I take it?/

“It’s an injection, one per gland and a third for your vocal cords. If we do it now, it won’t hurt at all because the local anesthesia I gave you hasn’t worn off yet, but that window is closing fast.”

Barry wrote quickly again, hesitantly giving her his question.

/You swear that nobody will take my baby from me? I won’t be able to scent him with my glands frozen./

“Nobody will take your pup from you, I promise. You’re right, you won’t be able to scent him, but you’re still his daddy and he’s your pup.” Leslie promised.

Barry nodded, writing two words with grim determination.

/Go ahead./

“Excellent, thank you Barry. I’m going to get your medication ready and I’m going to have Bruce go fetch Hal to take you to bed when we’re done. These drugs will make you sleepy when they first go in, so you can just sleep them off in a nice, cozy bed.” 

Leslie grabbed three clean needles from her bag as well as a bottle of medicine, preparing the dosage for injection. Bruce gave Barry a pat on the back and got off the gurney, heading out the door to find Hal.

~~~~

Hal followed Bruce back into the examination room right when the final syringe was being disposed of. Barry was sitting stock still on the gurney with his neck exposed and the bandages pulled back. The Omega had tear tracks down his cheeks and was sniffling occasionally while the doctor wiped down the injection spots with a sterile towelette and replaced the bandages. When the doctor had finished, she took off her gloves and gave Barry a gentle pat on his hand, moving to let Hal have access to his charge.

Hal slowly stepped over to Barry, who was moving lazily, pawing clumsily at the bandages around his neck. He brushed his fingers through the Omega’s hair and cupped the back of his head, smiling at the sleepy man with affection. Barry leaned his cheek against the Alpha’s wrist and opened his eyes, staring up at him with half lidded eyes. Hal was taken aback by the sudden eye contact from the nervous Omega who had gone out of his way to previously avoid it, his eyes were the most amazing shade of blue Hal had ever seen and he felt his mouth go inexplicably dry while he picked him up.

He had been briefed about what Barry had needed and what that meant for him. Bruce had told him that the Omega needed to sleep off the drugs and that the frozen glands and vocal cords would last about two weeks. It was going to be hard for the Omega and he might be extra emotional and prone to crying or being overprotective of his pup. Alfred had shown him where the three would be staying, a very generous room with lots of space, an attached bathroom, a king sized bed, and a rocking chair beside the window. Wally was already sleeping in the bed, dressed in a pair of borrowed pajamas from Dick.

Hal carried the sleepy Omega into the room and laid him down on the bed on top of the covers. Bruce had lent him some clothes and pajamas, so Hal carefully got Barry changed, taking off his skirt, shirt, and hoodie, being mindful of his bandages. He then pulled a nightgown over his head, got his arms in the sleeves, and tugged it down so it covered him to his mid shins. Barry was almost out when he was done, so Hal just scooped him up, pulled back the covers with his ring, and tucked Barry in. As soon as he was tucked in, the Omega shifted and wrapped his arms around his pup, nuzzling into his hair.

Hal smiled at the two while he turned off the light. Using the glow from his ring, Hal found a clean-ish pair of pajamas, changed, brushed his teeth in the bathroom, and crawled into bed beside Barry. The Omega wriggled back until he was pressed against the Alpha, pulling his pup with him so he could cuddle with both of his bedmates. Saying a mental ‘fuck it’ Hal wrapped his arms around his new charges, holding them both close and breathing in their scent, getting his own on them. Barry sighed and smiled, drifting off when the scent of a happy, content Alpha hit his nose, the drugs pulling him under.  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hal wakes up with Barry for the first time. A much needed conversation is had

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter will go over some of what happened to Barry. If my tags aren't alerting you well enough to what is happening   
> in this story, please let me know, I'll update my tags. I hope you enjoy this chapter, if you feel up to it, leave me a kudos and a comment just to let me know what you liked.

Hal woke up slowly in the bed he had shared with Wally and Barry. He could tell it was early because of how dark the room was, and there wasn’t any noise that could have woken him, so he wasn’t sure why he was awake. 

Then he felt the warm heat around his semi-hard cock and realised why he had woken up. Barry was awake and had squirmed over him and down under the blankets to suck him off while he slept. Looking over his shoulder, Hal was relieved to see that at some point he had turned away from the pup and Barry had followed him, so the sleeping pup wasn’t exposed to anything.

A big part of Hal wanted to grab Barry and drag him up to give him a stern talking to, but with the Omega holding his dick in his mouth, he would have to be careful. He did not want Barry’s dental records indented on his cock because he scared him. So he waited until Barry pulled back for air to grab onto him and pull him up.

He felt the other man jump while he grabbed his shoulder, and he struggled briefly when the Alpha pulled him up. Hal cupped the back of his head and held him close and still against his chest. The Omega’s hair was tousled from being under the covers and he was completely frozen under Hal’s hand.

“What the actual hell was that?” He growled at the Omega.

Barry moved his hands and head but didn’t say anything, and that was when Hal remembered that he couldn’t speak. He sat up and pulled Barry along with him, reaching over to grab the pen and paper off the bedside table and shoved it against Barry’s chest. The blond man fumbled to catch them, holding them close while he cowered at the scent of a very angry Alpha.

“Care to explain to me what you were doing?” Hal asked again, glaring at the Omega.

Barry struggled to write, dropping the pen twice because of how badly he was shaking. He had tears streaming down his face and he wouldn’t even lift his head up when he timidly handed the notebook over.

_My morning chores Alpha._

The handwriting was awful and it took Hal a second to make it out. After a few re-reads he kind of understood. The phrase ‘morning chores’ kind of explained why he had done it, if he hadn’t had a choice before, he probably thought that Hal expected him to do that. With a defeated groan, Hal pulled up his pants, dragged Barry over his lap and dropped him on the bed beside him, stood up and threw the notebook on the mattress. 

Barry snatched up his paper and started to write something down but Hal ignored him and left the room. He knew it wasn’t Barry’s fault, that he had probably been conditioned to do that and was just following what had become his instinct, but it was still violating for him to wake up to someone he barely knew sucking his dick. 

Hal headed down to the kitchen, knowing it must be very early, because Alfred wasn’t even awake yet. The clock confirmed it, reading 5:04 in the morning. Pushing his palms into his eyes, Hal tried to wake himself up enough to properly make coffee, putting the filter in, adding the coffee grounds, measuring the water, and turning the machine on. 

He sat on one of the stools at the island while he waited for the coffee to brew to think. In hindsight, growling at Barry like that had almost certainly been a bad idea. He should have spoken to the Omega the day before about what his daily routine was, or asked for either a different room or for a cot so that Barry wouldn’t have been able to follow through with his training. 

Even though he hadn’t taken those precautions, he still shouldn’t have gotten that aggressive. Now he would need to go back to a terrified Omega after growling in his face and walking out, he could only imagine how scared he was right now, waiting for what he probably assumed was a beating. Hal stood up and stretched, grabbing a mug and a glass from the cupboard, he filled the glass with water for Barry and made himself coffee in the mug.

He carried the drinks up his room and used his ring to open the door. As he’d suspected, Barry was a mess. He was curled up with his head on his knees and his hands in his hair, even without being able to speak, he was choking and shaking from the force of his sobs. Hal brought the drinks over to the bedside table and sat down on the bed, checking Wally over to make sure he hadn’t been bothered by the drama. He looked over at Barry when the blond coughed, trying to muffle it in his nightgown.

“Here,” Hal said, holding out the glass of water. “Take a drink.”

Barry wiped the back of his hand across his eyes, trying to wipe away the tears. Without lifting his head, he blindly reached towards the Alpha for the cup, keeping his head low the entire time. After watching him fumble and miss for a moment, Hal grabbed his wrist and pressed the cup into his hand, waiting for him to grab on before letting go of his arm. 

Trying to drink proved to be even harder for the Omega, he wouldn’t lift his head far enough to properly drink, so he spilled some of the liquid on his face and on his pajamas. The accident made Barry start crying harder, sobbing and choking while Hal took the glass back. The Alpha put the cup back on the table, took a sip of his coffee, put the mug down, and then started to address the problem.

He shifted closer to Barry, noticing the way he shrunk in on himself as he moved closer. Hal put a hand on his shoulder and pulled Barry close into a hug, pressing his head against his scent gland so he could smell that he wasn’t angry anymore. The Omega grabbed his notebook and put it down on Hal’s lap, obviously trying to tell him something.

_I’m sorry Alpha, please don’t hurt me, I’m sorry._

“Oh Barry, I’m not going to hurt you Omega. It’s okay, I’m not angry at you.” He whispered, hugging him close.

Barry pushed his nose closer, crying into his Alpha’s neck. Hal wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him onto his lap, rubbing his back in what he hoped was a soothing manner. He had to adjust the Omega’s legs, as he was resting on his bandaged shins when he wasn’t supposed to, so Hal made him stretch his legs out, only for Barry to wrap his legs around his waist. 

“I’m sorry my Omega, I shouldn't have growled at you like that, that was scary and unkind.” He whispered, “I’m sorry I scared you, my precious Omega, please forgive me.” 

Barry nodded into his shoulder, wrapping his arms around his neck and holding tight. Hal squeezed back, cupping the back of his neck and rubbing his back. Taking a deep breath, Hal started to purr, knowing Barry could hear him and hoping that it would calm him down. 

After a few minutes, the sobs turned into hiccups and gasps, letting Hal know that he had calmed down enough to talk to. Before he started asking questions, he made Barry sit up and drink some of the water he’d brought for him, helping to hold the glass steady so he wouldn’t spill. When half of the water was gone, Hal let Barry hand him the cup to put back onto the table, then he grabbed Barry’s notepad and pen and started talking to him.

“I’m sorry Barry, I’m not mad at you.” He began, “I’m not going to hit you and I’m sorry that I made you think I would, are you okay?”

Barry nodded, his eyes closed tight while Hal tried to look him in the face so he could apologize. The Omega had only looked Hal in the eyes once, the previous night when he had been drugged and on his way to bed, he doubted that he even remembered it. Hal didn’t know what Luthor’s rules had been in terms of eye contact, but if Barry was going this far out of his way to avoid it, then it must have been against his rules.

“Earlier, you told me you were doing your morning chores, what are those?” He asked.

Barry grabbed his pen and started to write, while he was doing that, Hal stroked his hair and rubbed his back. He stopped when he felt the notepad push against his chest. Barry’s eyes were closed again and he bowed his head when Hal took the paper.

_I have to have you in my mouth before you wake up, I have to keep you warm under the table while you eat, I have to make the bed, and I have to put your pajamas in the hamper Alpha._

That was a clear list, at least. All of those things made it easier for him to understand why he had woken up to Barry wrapped around his cock. Now he needed to find out what happened if Barry didn’t do any of those things.

“What did Luthor do to you if you didn’t suck his dick before you woke up?” Hal asked, giving him back his paper.

Barry swallowed hard and started writing. From that reaction, it must have been bad.

_I would get a spanking with his belt and I would have to swallow his cum with a spider gag in if he woke up and I wasn’t ready Alpha._

“Was that the punishment for missing all of those, or did it vary with each task?” 

_If I didn’t warm his cock while he was eating it was, but if I didn’t make the bed properly he would take away my hands, if I didn’t put the clothes in the hamper he would shove a vibrator in my mouth and lock me in the closet Alpha. And my morning spanking would be worse Alpha._

“What do you mean he would take away your hands?” Hal asked.

_He would make me wear these mitts that made it impossible to move my fingers and he would pin them behind my back with cuffs Alpha._

Bondage gloves, that made sense. They would make it impossible to use his hands and pinning them behind his back would add an extra layer of helplessness to it. Not to mention the spankings, from what he’d gathered, he had received at least one every morning.

“And he spanked you too? Every morning?”

Barry nodded, biting his lip. He was fidgeting with the hem of his night clothes, rubbing it between his fingers and following the stitching with his pointer. Hal couldn’t blame him for his discomfort, it must have been humiliating to be used as a cum rag, even worse to be spanked afterwards, and now he was expecting someone he barely knew to continue that trend.

Hal rubbed his back some more and gave him a kiss on the side of the head, trying to help him relax. He knew full well that he wasn’t going to hit the Omega, would never even consider placing a harmig hand near him, but Barry didn’t know that. 

“That’s awful. I’m sorry he did that to you, Omega, you didn’t deserve to be treated like that.” He whispered.

Barry had gone statue still when he started speaking, his fingers freezing with the edge of his nightgown still between them. His head was still bowed but there was a small, almost unnoticeable hitch in his breath that let Hal know he was listening.

“I’m not going to hit you. I know that you don’t believe me yet, but I promise I’m going to work with you until you do.” 

Hal put a hand on the back of his head and pressed his nose closer against his scent gland, feeling Barry’s warm breath against his sensitive neck.

“You’re not with Lex anymore. There will never be any morning beatings, you don’t have to suck me off, or make the bed, or pick up after me. I’m not going to hurt you or embarrass you, I’m not going to lock you in the closet.” He promised, “I’m not Lex, I’m not going to treat you like you’re less than human just because you’re an Omega. I’m your Alpha now, it’s my job to keep you, and your pup, safe.”

Something wet hit his neck and Barry sniffled against him. It was a first step, even if it was wobbly and uncertain. Barry had said he’d been on formula for five years, which Hal was using as the minimum time he had been under Luthor’s thumb, five years of being treated like an animal, five years of being smacked around and hurt, it was going to take more than one conversation to work through five years of trauma.

But this was progress and Hal was proud of the Omega. Barry had been nothing except brave and resilient the previous day, he hadn’t once snapped his teeth at Hal, he had kept Wally calm, and he had let Alpha’s and Beta’s he had never met before put their hands on him and he deserved some praise. Hal moved and scooted back towards the headboard of the bed, propping the pillows up and laid back against them with Barry on his chest.

“You’ve been very brave Omega, I’m proud of you.” He whispered.

Barry started moving again, squirming on Hal’s chest until he was comfortable. The Omega’s head was heavy on his chest and even without seeing his eyes, Hal could see that he was tired. That wasn’t surprising, he had had a late night and it was very early, at most he had been asleep for four hours, which wasn’t nearly enough.

“Go to sleep Barry.” He urged, “I’ve got you, go to sleep.”

It took awhile, the Omega almost nodding off a few times only to jerk back awake, but finally, he dozed off and didn’t wake back up. Hal wrapped the blanket tighter around them and pulled the sleeping pup closer and under the arm that wasn’t around Barry. While his scent glands were frozen, there was still a very present lingering scent of fear, pain and Lex Luthor clinging to Barry, something that would hopefully fade once he’d been bathed. Wally smelled like Barry, but his pajamas had their hosts scent on them and it threw Hal off for a moment.

The only thing he could do to rectify their smells at the moment was to scent them both, laying a claiming scent over them. They each reacted in their sleep, Wally tilted his face into the pillows and curled up into the fetal position. Barry’s face scrunched up and he tried to move away from the overwhelming scent of possessive Alpha laying a claim to him.

His reaction made Hal start to wonder about whether he was bonded to Luthor. He hadn’t thought to check the previous day when he had been getting the collar off of his neck, and he couldn’t remember if he’d seen a bonding mark on his neck. With a bit of maneuvering, Hal pulled his arm out from under Wally and left him to sleep in the blankets, then he sat up with Barry on his lap and started to gently pull back the bandages covering his scent glands.

Both of his glands were swollen and infected, as well as covered in the sticky salve that Dr. Thompson and Alfred had used over his injuries. Checking his right side first, Hal looked at the swollen gland for a claiming bite that would bond the timid Omega to the monster Hal had taken him from, feeling tentative hope swell in his chest when he found nothing. That hope was stamped out when he checked his left gland, it was hard to see around the open cuts and bruises, but there was the unmistakable pattern of teeth marred into his gland, binding him to Luthor.

That complicated things quite a bit, after a few days of being away from his bonded Alpha, Barry was going to go into bond withdrawal. Hal had never seen someone go through that up close before, but it was standard in health education across the country and it had been expanded upon in Basics. Symptoms included fever, delirium, vomiting, irritated skin, difficulty resting, and emotional distress, all things that Barry’s damaged body was going to struggle to weather. Ideally, Hal could take him to an RGA Registration Center and have Luthor’s bond bled from his body before he went through bond withdrawal, but with how damaged his neck was and the fact that his glands were frozen made that impossible. He was going to have to talk to Alfred and Bruce about how he could make it more bearable for the Omega, but other than make it slightly less intolerable, there wasn’t anything they could do.

Retaping the bandages to his neck, Hal laid back down and pulled Wally back against his side. He had a few unanswered questions, such as why Barry always put his nose right by his gland if he was bonded, why Luthor had given him up if they were bonded, and what they were going to do about it. The best thing he could think to do right now was go back to sleep, but at a better hour he was going to talk to Bruce about taking Barry to go see Tony, another Omega who had been through an abusive relationship, bond withdrawal, and being stuck with raising his pups alone might be able to help Barry in a way the people here couldn’t. But for right now, he was just going to hold the Omega and pup close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone mentioned that they were confused about whelping, it's very similar to a bonding mark except it's on a pups stomach by their belly buttons. It just claims them to their parents if their parents are an Alpha/Omega pair and makes them smell like their parents, like permanent scenting.
> 
> The reason no one looked for a bonding mark on Barry is because it's considered extremely cruel for an Alpha to abandon their bonded Omega. Bond Withdrawal can also happen to Alpha's so it's not great for Lex either but it's not as bad for Alpha's as it is for an Omega.


	4. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry gets a bath, his injuries cleaned, and some drama happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hopefully this chapter isn't so intense, I tried to make it more fluffy and a little funny. I'm going to explain whelping and bond withdrawal more in later chapters, don't worry. The italics are Barry's thoughts, the stuff with the / in front of it is what he's written, just to keep it easy to read. Enjoy!

Barry woke up feeling fuzzy, his head hurt and he could hardly think straight. His whole body was protesting even being alive, mostly his legs, and he struggled to remember what could have happened yesterday for his Alpha to hurt his legs. Normally, Lex would hit his face or spank him, it was completely at odds for him to punish him by hurting his legs.

Then he remembered, he remembered being dragged out into the cold, ordered to kneel on glass at the mercy of his own Alpha and the two very angry ones not even twenty feet from him. He remembered being dragged around by the collar to be handed over to his new Alpha, someone he’d never met, and being taken to a new city. From there he had been carried around, seen by a doctor, and put to bed, then he had woken up, tried to do his morning chores and gotten snarled at, held, and then put back to sleep. And now he was here.

He was on his side, tucked under his new Alphas arm with his bandaged shins pressed against his legs, which was probably why they were hurting so badly. He shifted and moved his legs away and the pain subsided, but he kept his head on the Alpha’s arm. He could hear his breaths and knew he was still asleep, which gave him time to look around. He was pretty well confined to the bed, given the state of his feet, and he was held by the Alpha’s arm, but he could still kind of look around. 

What part of the room he could see was a mix of old luxury and modern luxury, an old wooden bed frame that was obviously hand carved but a new mattress with egyptian sheets, a stone fireplace on the far wall but a flatscreen tv right across from the bed, and the windows were surrounded by carved wooden framing but the glass in them was tinted. It was the kind of room that should have clashed, but somehow complimented itself quite nicely. He could also see the door that presumably led to the rest of the house, it was shut tight and there was no light under it, so he figured that the other people he had met yesterday must still be asleep.

All that said, he turned back to who was holding him. He knew that the Alpha had told him his name yesterday, but he had forgotten it, all he knew was that it started with an H but that was all he had. He was still sleeping, so Barry chanced looking at his face so he could see the man that now owned him and his son. He had brown hair that was styled long on top but cut close to his scalp on the sides , his skin was tanned and the bridge of his nose was spotted with a handful of freckles. Paining him as it did, Barry had to admit he was handsome, with a chiseled jaw and broad shoulders, the Alpha was also taller than him by quite a bit, which certainly added to it. 

It wasn’t only his appearance that was nice, his scent was very comforting. His own Alpha had always been very controlling and always smelled aggressive, and the other Alpha’s he had hung around with were similar. Having that scent constantly assaulting his senses had been overwhelming and exhausting, to the point that he preferred it when he was just left alone and ignored. This Alpha, on the other hand, smelled happy and content, though there was a stale smell of anger from earlier on him it wasn’t overpowering. Barry couldn’t remember the last time he had been around an Alpha whose scent didn’t make him nauseous.

The other man was on his back with Barry under one arm and Wally under the other. Both the pup and the Omega were tucked against his side, though Barry was turned towards him and Wally was looking the other way. The Alpha stretched and shifted in his sleep, moving his arm and putting his hand on Barry’s side. Taking a deep breath, Barry slipped his hand in the Alpha’s, lacing their fingers together and curling closer to him. It had been a long time since he had held anyone’s hand, it was nice and he’s missed it.

The Alpha moved again and Barry realized that he was starting to wake up, instantly uncurling their fingers and tucking both of his hands up by his chest. He lowered his face and closed his eyes, listening to the man he was tucked against wake up. The arm around his waist left and he could feel the other man stretch again and prop himself up. A hand brushed through his hair and he shivered under the touch.

“Are you awake?” The Alpha asked.

Barry nodded and moved around to prove it. The Alpha laughed and Barry felt him move, the mattress dipping and springing back up as he got off of it. The drawers made noise while they were opened and sorted through, and Barry could see some clothes land on the foot of the bed. Then there was the rustling of plastic from the base of the chest of drawers, then a grocery bag was put down beside the clothes and the Alpha sat down beside them.

“Okay, so I know we don’t know each other very well, but you need a bath.” The Alpha opened, and Barry tried not to feel offended. “Clark grabbed you a bunch of stuff from the store and there’s a bathroom attached to this room, so I can just bring you over there and get you cleaned up. You okay with that?”

Reluctantly, Barry nodded. He didn’t really want to be naked and exposed to this person, but he also felt grimy and dirty from dried sweat and tears stuck to his skin. The Alpha handed Barry the clothes, hung the shopping bag on his wrist, and slid his hands under the hollows of his knees and under his shoulders to pick him up. He was carried to the bathroom and set down on the closed toilet seat while the other man started filling the bathtub up with water.

Now that he had a moment to think about it, Barry saw a flaw in the plan. There was no scenario he could see where his bandaged legs wouldn’t be in the water, and there was no way that hot water on his stitches was not going to hurt. Resentment rising in his chest, he noticed that his pen and paper, the only way he had to clearly communicate, was still beside the bed.

‘ _So I’m not allowed to walk or scent my pup, but this guy can just drop me in a bathtub and that’s somehow fine?’_ He thought.

The only thing he could do was try to get the Alpha’s attention to try and stop this before he made his injuries worse. He leaned forward as much as he could and started waving his hands at the brown haired man, tapping on the wall beside him to make some noise. The Alpha lifted his head from the water in the bathtub and looked at him, standing up and going to talk to him.

“Everything alright?” He asked.

‘ _Oh yeah, ask me questions, because I can definitely answer those. It’s not like my only method of communication is in the other room or anything._ ’ Barry thought sarcastically.

It was probably a good thing he couldn’t speak, he would have gotten himself into a lot of trouble already if he could. 

Gesturing as coherently as he could, he pointed to the tub, tapped one of his shins, and shook his head. He did that cycle a few times, hoping that he was being understood. His frustration only grew when he heard the Alpha laugh and he frowned, then some weird green light flashed and he was wearing thigh-high, transparent green socks. There was a slight pressure on his neck that wasn’t there before, so he imagined that he was wearing a collar of the same thing.

“You didn’t really think I was just going to put you in the bath without covering your injuries at all, did you?” He asked, chuckling.

Barry shrugged and lowered his head, though he touched the collar with suspicion, feeling it’s texture and the edge. It worried him that this Alpha could probably just tighten it without having to touch him, he had no idea what this thing was made of or how it was controlled, but he didn’t like collars to begin with. His fingers froze when the Alpha’s hand closed around his and guided it back to his lap, giving his hand a squeeze.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing.” The Alpha murmured, “You have those injuries because of another Alpha, of course you think I’m going to hurt you.”

The hand enclosing his own gave another squeeze, the Alpha’s thumb running circles on the back of his hand. Barry tilted his head to the side and started fiddling with the collar again, trying to slide his fingers in between the bandages and the collar.

“You don’t like it?” He asked.

Barry shook his head and scratched at it. He could feel that there was a latch on the front, even though, as far as he could tell, it was only decorative. 

“Okay. It’s easier for me to maintain a structure if it looks like something I know.”

He paused for a second, tapping his foot against the floor.

“Sorry, I’m just trying to think of something else that will cover your throat but won’t bother you.” 

Barry nodded and lowered his hand from his neck. The Alpha was still holding his hand, so he focused on that while he thought. After a moment, he felt the collar shift and he lifted his hand to touch it. A mirror was held in front of him and Barry saw that he was wearing a transparent bowtie, making him smile.

“Is that better?” The Alpha inquired.

He nodded, still smiling. Back before he had met Lex, Barry had worn bowties a lot, they were one of his favourite accessories. It had been years since he’d worn one, but it still brought a spark of joy to his heart to wear one again.

“Good. Now let’s get you in the bath.’ He declared, “Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on, I’m going to lift you up.”

The Alpha stood up with Barry dangling from his shoulders. A hand centered on his back while another hitched the skirt of his nightgown up to his waist so it was out of the way, he was then sat back down on the toilet lid. He let go of the Alpha’s neck and pulled the nightgown over his head and off entirely, leaving him completely naked and exposed. He was picked up bridal style again and carried to the bath, but instead of being put in the water, the Alpha knelt down next to the tub.

“Put your hand in the water.” He ordered and Barry complied. “Is it a good temperature?”

The water was a little warm but nothing he couldn’t handle, so he nodded and was lifted again. The Alpha lowered him into the water slowly, letting it soak over him without splashing over the edge. Barry wiggled his feet once they were submerged, marveling at how they were covered in water and yet totally dry, protected by the green socks.

Leaving him to soak, the Alpha rummaged through the plastic bag and started lining up bottles beside the tub. He took the purple loofah and removed the tag, then dropped it in the water with him. Barry leaned over the edge of the bath to look at the soaps on the floor, there was a lot more than he’d thought there would be, with a variety of coloured lids but he couldn’t see any of the labels.

“So Clark got you two of everything, so you can pick what scents you like best.” The Alpha said.

He picked up two bottles and presented them to him, letting him see the labels. They were Omega’s body soap, one was scented like honey and lavender and the other was orchid and coconut. The Alpha popped the lid of the honey scented one and held it under his nose to smell, as soon as the scent hit his nose, Barry grimaced and turned his head away.

“Okay, so not that one!” He laughed, closing the lid and discarding the bottle back in the bag.

He opened the lid of the coconut soap and waved it under his nose. This one was far less offensive, not so sickly sweet. The Alpha took the loofah from the water and drizzled some soap onto it, lathering it up under his palm. He started cleaning up Barry’s back and shoulders, scrubbing in small circles.

Barry could tell he was trying to be gentle and he appreciated it, the worst of his injuries were on his neck and legs but there were various smaller ones all over him. It was nothing too serious, just a variety of cuts and bruises but it would hurt if they were pressed on too hard. He closed his eyes and relaxed while his Alpha cleaned him up, feeling his hands on his skin, smelling the soap mixed with the steam, and soaking in hot water.

His arm was lifted up and the loofah slid over his arm and wrist. It caught briefly on the power inhibitor on his wrist and the Alpha paused, revisiting that spot with his fingers, finding the spot where his skin was covered by the inhibitor. The bracelets were skin tight and blended into his own skin, they were completely invisible and were so thin that someone who didn’t know to look for them wouldn’t be able to see them. 

The Alpha started pushing on the edges of his inhibitor, catching a sliver of it between his fingers and pulling upwards. As soon as he did, the nausea he felt when they were meddled with hit him hard. Lex had designed them so that he couldn’t pull at them without physical consequences, they were virtually indestructible and could only be loosened by his accessories remote, this Alpha pulling at them wasn’t doing him any favours, and he didn’t want to throw up in the bath, so he pulled his wrist away.

“What on earth did he put on you?” He asked.

‘ _Again, my communication method is in the other room._ ’ Barry thought.

The Alpha stared at him for a second, then took his hand and ran his finger over the bracelet.

“Is it hurting you to have it on?” He asked.

Barry shook his head, grateful for a yes or no question. They didn’t hurt him to wear, it was only if he pulled on them or tried to tamper with them in any way that they started to hurt.

“Okay.” He muttered.

He lifted Barry’s arm again and continued to clean him up. The loofah sliding over the inhibitor without issue this time, now that its presence was known. The Alpha moved on to his other arm, finding the bracelet on that wrist but leaving it alone. He lathered up that arm, then pushed his shoulder to lean him back in the water to rinse off. Next, the Alpha moved onto his legs, adding more soap to the loofah and lifting one of his legs. Because of the socks, he could only wash his thigh and stomach, but it was better than nothing.

With his body washed, he put the soap down and rinsed off the loofah, hanging it on the spout to dry. He grabbed the two bottles of shampoo for Barry to smell and held them up to him. One had a yellow lid and advertised that it was scented like daffodils, the other one had a red lid and was scented like pomegranate. The Alpha repeated what he had done with the body soap, letting him smell each one to see what he liked better, and he decided on the daffodil one.

The Alpha put one hand on the back of his head and the other on his shoulder and started to push his head downward into the water. Barry started to panic as the water lapped at the base of his neck and he strained against the force shoving him downward.

‘ _I don’t want my head underwater, I don’t want my head underwater!_ ’ He thought.

Realistically, he knew fighting wasn’t going to help him, the other man could just use his Alpha voice and Barry would be helpless but he kept at it anyway. He flailed bindly and grabbed onto his shoulder, using it to pull himself up and wrap his arms around the Alphas neck, holding fast. He shook his head and tried to drag himself out of the water when the Alpha moved his hand from the back of his head to his shoulder.

“Okay! Alright, calm down.” He urged, lifting Barry back up. “Do you not want to lay back in the water?”

Barry shook his head desperately, clinging to his shirt. He held fast when the Alpha tried to push him away, shaking his head more and burying his face in his shoulder. He was on the brink of bursting into tears again when he felt a hand rub circles on his bare back.

“Barry, calm down.” He said, pulling him up further from the water. “Calm down, little Omega, you’re okay.”

Now that his head wasn’t so close to the water, he could calm down a little. He let his hands be removed from the Alpha’s shirt and instead grabbed onto the side of the tub, leaning his head over the side so he couldn’t just be pushed right back down. The Alpha stood up and grabbed the showerhead, unhooking it from the wall and lowering it down to the tub, showing it to Barry.

“Feeling better?” He asked, getting a nod. “Good. So I understand that you don’t want to put your head in the water, so I’m just going to rinse your hair with the shower nozzle.”

He nodded again and cautiously moved his head back over the water. He closed his eyes when the other man swept his hand over his face to push his hair back, then tilted his face upwards. Barry expected to feel water on his head, but instead, his hand was taken and guided to the Alpha’s bicep.

“Barry, I’m going to turn the water on.” The Alpha informed, “I’m going to try not to get any on your face, but if you want me to stop, just squeeze my arm hard and I’ll stop.”

Barry nodded with his eyes closed, hearing the water turn on. He focused on taking deep breaths while his hair was sprayed with warm water. True to his word, his Alpha kept the water away from his face, running his fingers through Barry’s short hair to make sure every strand was soaked, then the water turned off.

“There we go, good job.” He praised.

There was a popping noise and then the smell of daffodils wafted by his nose. The shampoo was colder than the water had been and it stung a little when it got into the cuts on his scalp, but it felt good to feel the build up and sweat being washed out. 

‘ _Thank you Alpha._ ’ Barry thought, tipping his head back again so his hair could be rinsed. _‘I wish I remembered your name._ ’

He tried to purr when his scalp got massaged but he couldn’t, which was when he remembered that his vocals were frozen. Regardless of whether or not he could purr, he must have looked funny, because he could hear laughter from the other man.

His hair was rinsed, then shampooed again, then rinsed, and then combed through with conditioner. Every time the water was turned on, the Alpha let him know, and he made sure to never spray Barry in the face. When the last of the conditioner had been rinsed from his hair, the plug was pulled and the water started to drain around him.

Once all of the water had drained, he was wrapped in a towel and lifted from the tub. He was carried back to the toilet and set down on the seat, a second towel flopping over his head and starting to absorb the water from his hair. He lifted his legs and arms when his body was dried off, trying to make it as easy as possible for the Alpha to dry him off. 

When he was dried off, the Alpha made the green socks and bowtie disappear and unfolded the shirt he’d brought in. It was a button up shirt again, so it wouldn’t bother his neck at all. Like the shirt he’d worn yesterday, this one was simple yet elegant, it was black with black buttons, but it was comfortable. There was also a skirt of a similar style, to get it on, he had to hang off his Alpha’s shoulders while it was pulled up to his waist and zipped up. The clothes were warm and comfortable, the skirt hung down to his ankles and was pretty and flowy. He still had no underwear, but the fabric was opaque so no one could see his butt or manhood.

Now that he was dressed, he was picked up again and sat down on the counter next to the sink. When the Alpha turned around, Barry turned quickly to check himself in the mirror. His skin looked a lot better now that he had gotten some sleep and a bath, not so sallow and the dark circles under his eyes had gotten smaller. His hair wasn’t pink anymore, now it was the cornsilk blonde it was supposed to be.

“You look good.” The Alpha commented.

Barry turned back around quickly, but he was able to see his face go red. He ducked his head bashfully, trying to make the blush subside. He was handed a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, and a small bottle of mouthwash.

“You can brush your teeth, right?”

‘//My hands are fine.//’ Barry thought.

Definitely a good thing he couldn’t speak, he wasn’t in a very polite state of mind this morning. He just nodded and started the process of brushing his teeth, putting a dollop of toothpaste on his brush and wetting it under the tap. While he brushed his teeth, the Alpha cleaned up the soaps around the tub, putting the ones he’d used in a cabinet against the far wall and the one he hadn’t back into the grocery bag.

Spitting out the lathered up toothpaste, he opened the mouthwash, filled the cap halfway with the purple liquid and put it in his mouth. He swished the bitter liquid around for exactly one minute and spat it into the sink, then he filed the cap with water from the tap and did the same thing. When he had finished, his mouth felt fresh and minty.

“Feeling better?” The other man asked.

Barry nodded and put the oral hygiene things in a pile against the wall. He was picked up and carried back into the bedroom and set down on the bed. In the time it had taken to get him bathed, Wally had woken up and was sitting up in the bed. As soon as he saw his dad being carried into the room, he perked up and reached out to him.

“Daddy!” He squealed, crawling to the edge of the bed.

“Careful Kiddo, let me get him down on the bed first. Then you two can say good morning to each other.” The Alpha told the pup.

Wally pouted and looked ready to argue, but one stern look from Barry had him backing up and sitting down.

“Okay Alpha.” He mumbled.

“Just Hal is fine, Kiddo.”

‘ _Hal! That’s his name!_ ’ Barry thought, ‘ _I knew it started with an H._ ’

Hal put him down on the bed and Wally flung himself into his arms. Barry returned the embrace, nuzzling his hair and giving him kisses. Wally started purring and humming while he cuddled with his dad and he tried to scent with him, noticing when it wasn’t returned.

“Daddy?” He asked, pushing his shoulder.

Barry turned his head away from Wally and wiped at his eyes. He could smell Wally start to panic and felt his shoulder shake while his pup pushed on him. The mattress dipped beside him and the smell of a calm Alpha wafted around them both, a pair of arms wrapped around them both and pulled them onto Hal’s lap.

“Hey you two, everything okay?” He asked.

“Daddy won’t scent with me!” Wally wailed.

Hal hummed and held them tighter, Wally kept crying and looked at Barry with heartbroken eyes. The Omega closed his eyes tight and bit his lip, guilt and shame tainting every sense.

“Wally, your Daddy can’t scent with you Pup.” Hal told him, “His neck was really hurt because of that collar he had on, and to make his neck better we had to freeze his scent glands. That’s why he can’t scent with you.”

Wally blinked up at him, going quiet for a moment while he thought. Barry used the opportunity to wipe away his own tears and calm down.

“So he’s never going to scent with me again?” He whimpered.

“No! No no no, Kiddo!” Hal said in a rush. “It’ll wear off in time, but it might be a few weeks.”

“But he can’t scent with me!” Wally sobbed, “He’s not gonna love me, or wanna be my Daddy anymore.”

Barry started to cry along with him, wrapping Wally up in his arms and holding him as close as he possibly could. The pup cried in his arms and held onto him, Barry shook his head, but without his voice he couldn’t tell Wally that he did love him. Hal held them both and tried to comfort them.

“Wally, you know that isn’t true. Your Daddy loves you very, very much, regardless of whether he can scent you or not.” Hal whispered, “He just needs a few weeks to heal so that he can feel better, then he’ll be able to scent you again.”

“No, cause your gonna give me away!” Wally protested.

“I am not. The both of you are under my care, we’re all staying in this room, neither of you is being given away.” He promised, “I’ll protect you both.”

For a moment, all Wally did was cry. He dropped his head and cried, ignoring Barry’s attempts to comfort him and shrugging off his hands. Hal took a different approach, waiting for him to calm down a little before talking to him.

“I know that you’re upset, this is stressful and I’m sorry. Your Daddy needed this treatment because he was hurting, not because he doesn’t love you.” He told the child. “Both of you love each other a lot, that hasn’t changed just because he can’t scent.”

Wally nodded and let loose a fresh wave of tears. Barry cupped the back of his head and kissed his forehead, wiping the tears off of his face. Wally leaned in and grabbed onto him, both of them hugging each other tight. Hal shifted them off of his lap and laid Barry against the pillows, both of them cuddling while Hal did his best to construct a makeshift nest from the pillows.

“Barry, I’m gonna go take a shower. Are you two okay here?” He asked.

Barry nodded, his eyes closed and his chin resting on Wally’s head. Hal covered them with a throw blanket and tucked them in, he wasn’t an Omega and couldn’t make a proper nest for them, but he could make them as comfy as he could. With both of his charges safe and together, he gathered a change of clothes and went to take a shower.

~~~~

After a hasty shower and a quick shave, Hal brushed his teeth and got dressed. He combed his hair quickly and went to rejoin the Omega and pup in the bedroom. The pair was the same as how he’d left, Barry propped up against the pillows with Wally in his lap and both of them covered in a blanket. Wally was squirming a little, but Barry was so still that Hal thought he might have fallen asleep, only for him to open his eyes and turn his head towards him when he came close. 

He was about to say something when there was a knock on the door, making Barry sit up straighter and tighten his hold on Wally. Hal opened the door to reveal Bruce and Alfred with a medical kit in hand. He stepped aside to let them in, closing the door behind them and going to stand beside the bed. Alfred set his kit on the bed and sat down on the edge while Bruce started talking to Barry.

“Alfred needs to check your injuries and make sure that they’re clean and that the stitches haven’t popped. While he’s doing that, I can take Wally to get some breakfast. Does that sound okay?” He asked.

From Hal’s point of view, Barry looked absolutely miserable at the suggestion, scowling a little into Wally’s hair. Still, he nodded and let Bruce guide his son out of the room and away to the dining room for some food, watching him disappear around the corner. Hal closed and locked the door behind them, hoping that Barry would have enough privacy while having his bandages changed.

Alfred started with his legs, carefully untapping them and unwinding them from his shins and feet. The skin was still stained red from the blood, especially around the stitches and scabs, but there was no new blood that Hal could see. Alfred took two fresh syringes from his kit and filled them with the numbing serum, injecting one into each leg. While they waited for his legs to numb, Alfred did the same to his neck, unwrapping the bandages and numbing the area.

“I’ve given you a smaller dose than the one you were given last night, but if you start to feel any pain, let me know and I’ll give you another.” Alfred informed the Omega, “With this dose, it’s effects should wear off within two to three hours.” 

Barry nodded and toyed with his skirt, which was hitched up to his mid thighs to keep it out of the way. Hal sat behind him with a hand on his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze to reassure him that he was there. The Omega sat still and stoic while Alfred cleaned each and every individual cut with an alcohol soaked cloth, applied polysporin to the ones that weren’t stitched, and wrapped his feet and shins in clean bandages.

He had to take his hand off of Barry’s shoulder when it came time to do his neck, but Hal sat off to the side and in his view. While the Omega still hadn’t looked him in the eyes, he would look in his direction quite frequently, especially when Alfred cleaned over his scent glands. The older Alpha carefully inspected his neck to make sure the infection hadn’t spread further, checking down to his collarbones for signs of blood poisoning or clots. He gave a nod of approval when he saw no signs and started to rewrap his neck, taking care to not make it too tight so he could still breathe without restriction.

“There we go, Master Bartholomew.” He declared, pulling off his gloves, “Your wounds are healing nicely. There are no signs of infection in your legs, and the infection in your neck hasn’t spread. I’ll come to clean them again this evening, but if you start to feel any unusual pain or any sudden loss of feeling, I want to know about it.”

Barry nodded and tugged his skirt down, covering the bandages with the black fabric. Hal moved closer to him, getting ready to stand up, he needed to talk to Alfred about his bond mark. He hoped to do it while Barry was eating breakfast, that would give him privacy and space to discuss options.

“So, off to breakfast then?” Hal asked, getting ready to lift Barry up.

“Ah, not while his throat is numbed. He could choke or irritate his injuries more.” Alfred said, “The anesthetic shouldn’t last longer than two hours, maybe two and a half. He can eat something then.” 

Hal moved his hands so they were no longer positioned to lift the Omega up. Barry looked frustrated, his mouth was set in a firm line and his hands were balled into white-knuckled fists. He couldn’t really blame the poor man too much, Barry hadn’t gotten much of a meal last night, only a shake, and now his breakfast was being delayed for two hours because of his injuries.

Alfred urged him to lay back against the pillows again. Barry immediately turned onto his side and curled up. Hal gave him a pat on the back and gestured for Alfred to talk to him in the Hal, both Alphas stepping outside and closing the door behind them.

“I know that it’s not ideal, but that anesthetic is the best to use for the severity of his injuries.” Alfred started.

“I’m not worried about the medicine, I trust your judgement. I need to talk to you about something else.” Hal said.

“About Master Bartholomew?” Alfred asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I checked under his bandages this morning, I noticed he reacted like a bonded Omega to my scent so I checked his glands.” Hal started and he saw realization dawn on the other man's face.

“He’s bonded, isn’t he.” He muttered.

“Yeah.”

Alfred sighed deeply and nodded, looking at the close bedroom door as if he could see through it. Hal waited for a moment before speaking again.

“He’s going to go through bond withdrawal if we don’t do something, what can we do to prevent it?” Hal asked.

“With how injured his neck is, the only thing we can do is try to get his weight up before he gets sick and keep him comfortable when he does.” Alfred responded, shaking his head. “His glands are frozen, and even if they weren’t, they’re too damaged to safely bleed enough scent from to stave off the withdrawal.”

“So we’re just going to let him suffer? He’s already hurting, this could kill him.”

“Like I said; we can try to get his weight up in the week or so we have, that gives him better chances. Other than that, I’ll get some I.V bags from Leslie, and some medicines to help with the pain a bit. We can get some soft nesting materials, try to get him to nest.” Alfred offered, “I’ll talk to Master Bruce, have him take care of Wally while his dad’s sick, keep him away so he can rest.”

“Anything else we can do?” Hal pleaded, hoping for a miracle. “Anything at all? He’s survived everything else Lex did to him so far, he’s finally safe, he can’t go out like this.”

“Master Harold, bond withdrawal isn’t a death sentence, many Omegas are able to survive it. The chances are that Master Bartholomew will be fine, if ill for about ten days to two weeks.” Alfred explained. When he saw how desperate Hal was, he nodded to himself. “If you would be comfortable with it, try getting him to start imprinting with you. That won’t be easy, because he’s bonded, but if you can get him comfortable being scented by you then you can take some of the pain away while he’s sick.”

Hal paused to take that information in, having a bonded Omega imprint on him would be hard. Barry had reacted adversely to his claiming scent earlier that morning, but if he could get him comfortable with it, and it made the pain more bearable, then he would try anything.

“I’ll do my best.” Hal said.

“Alright. Then I’ll gather those supplies for later. For now, I’ll start making and warming up some formula and a shake.” Alfred said. “And I’ll track down some prescribed formula for weight gain. And I’ll talk to him about heat suppressants later.”

“Thank you Alfred.” Hal thanked him.

The old Alpha nodded and turned away. Hal watched him walk away for a second, then opened the door and went back into the suite. In the time Hal had been gone, Barry had flipped onto his stomach with his face buried in the pillow. His legs weren’t supposed to have too much pressure on them but he didn’t seem to care. Hal crawled onto the bed beside him and sat against the pillows, looking over at him.

“Barry, could you roll onto your side please?” He asked.

He didn’t move, but his head tilted for a second so Hal knew he had been heard. Obviously, the Omega was upset and he had every right to be, but he couldn’t hurt himself.

“Come on Barry, you’re hurting your legs more. Move onto your side.” He asked again.

Once again, he got no response. Barry didn’t even react to his voice that time, he just kept his face submerged in the pillow. Hal moaned in frustration, he hated to do this, but if Barry kept that pressure on his legs he could hurt them more.

“Omega! Roll onto your side, now.” He ordered, his voice pure Alpha.

That got a reaction. Though he fought it for a few moments, very few Omegas could defy an order from an Alpha, and with how conditioned Barry was, he had to obey. He grudgingly shifted and rolled over, his back to the Alpha, which was certainly a conscious choice on his part.

“Thank you.” Hal said.

‘ _Stupid Alpha! Both of them! Why couldn’t they let me eat and then numb me?_ ’ Barry thought, bitterly. ‘ _And now he’s bossing me around like I’m a dog, a stupid Omega!_ ’

Hal turned back to Barry when he started to sob, swiping at his face and curling up tighter. He put a hand on Barry’s arm, trying to comfort him, but he was shrugged off. Once he’d started moving, Barry started smacking himself, hard, in the face. Hal sat up straight and grabbed his hand, trying to stop him from hurting himself more.

He pulled Barry up into a sitting position and forced the hand he was holding down to Barry’s lap and trying to grab the other one. The blond continued to fight, he fought until both of his hands were restricted, then brought his knee up and smacked his head against it. With a growl, Hal willed cuffs around his wrists and wretched them behind his back, connecting them so he couldn’t move them. He pulled Barry back against his chest and slid one of his legs between Barry’s, propping it up to make it harder for him to weaponize his legs.

“That’s enough!” He snapped, “You do not hurt yourself! Ever!”

Barry struggled, trying to pry his wrists apart, pulling against Hal’s grip and trying to lift one leg over Hal’s. The Alpha held firm, keeping Barry how he wanted him to avoid hurting him. He checked the clock and noted the time, making a decision.

“We’re going to sit here like this until you’ve been calm and still for fifteen minutes. Every time you fight me, the clock resets.” Hal told him.

He knew immediately what Barry thought of that proposal, he fought with a reignited anger. Hal held firm but didn’t do anything to stop him, when he was done with struggling, he would stay still. Tiring himself out, Barry eventually stopped fighting and went lax, pressing his head against his knee.

“We’ll start the clock now.” He said quietly.

Barry choked and shook his head, his shoulders shaking hard. Hal nodded, adjusting his shirt so he would be more comfortable.

“Yes. It’s just fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes, no fighting and then you can lie back down.”

For five minutes and forty seconds, Barry was still and calm. Hal rubbed his back and checked on his cuffs, making sure they weren’t too tight and hurting him. Then he felt Barry tense up and braced himself for a struggle. As he had suspected, the Omega started to fight again, trying to force his arms apart, kicking and squirming. Hal held him still and firm, not giving him any leeway to hurt himself.

“We’ll start the clock again.” Hal told him when he’d calmed down.

That happened a few times, Barry would be still for a little while, then tense up and start fighting again. Each time he did, Hal made sure to tell him that the clock had reset and he had fifteen minutes to sit still. 

“Fifteen minutes.” Hal muttered after the fourth reset. “This can be your whole day Barry, I have nowhere else to be.”

‘//No! No no no.//’ Barry thought, ‘//Let me go, I’m hungry, I want to see my son!//’

Barry felt his defiance break, every ounce of fight draining out of him. He needed to behave, that would get him out of this time out and hopefully some breakfast.

‘//Just be a good Omega. I need to be a good Omega.//’ He thought.

He sniffled and shrugged, trying to wipe his eyes on the sleeves of his shirt with his arms behind his back. He hoped that the Alpha didn’t think he was struggling, he wasn’t trying to, not anymore, now he just wanted to finish his punishment and be done. With another sob, Barry forced himself to sit up straight and lay back against his Alpha’s chest, turning his nose against his neck.

“Feeling cuddly now, our we?” He laughed, “Is this how you’d like to spend your fifteen minutes?”

‘ _Yes, please Alpha, yes._ ’ Barry pleaded in his head, nodding frantically.

“Alright, let me get you more comfortable.”

The leg between his lowered and Hal lifted him up and turned him. Soon, he was sitting in the Alphas lap sideways, his face pressed into his scent gland and his feet to the side of Hal’s legs. A hand started petting his hair and he nearly started crying again, were it not for the fact that his hands were behind his back, it was nice to be held.

Hal stroked Barry’s head, pushing a calming scent on him. The Omega was trembling and sniffling, occasionally making a choking sound when he sobbed, and Hal made sure to hold him in a way that made it easiest to breathe. He kept one eye on the clock, counting down the minutes until he had told Barry he would let him go. He didn’t like doing this, he hated treating Barry like he was a possession, but from the way he was hitting himself, he would have hurt himself if he hadn’t. That didn’t mean he didn’t heave a sigh of relief when they hit the fifteen minute mark.

“That’s fifteen minutes. If I let your arms go, are you gonna hurt yourself?” He asked, making Barry shake his head. “Alright.”

Hal willed the cuffs to dissipate, hearing the Omega let out a relieved breath when his arms were free. He moved his hands in front of him and started massaging his wrists, glancing up at the Alpha a few times to check that he was in line. Hal took his hands and brought them up for a kiss, rubbing his wrists to relieve any discomfort.

“I didn’t hurt your wrists, did I?” He asked, kissing Barry’s hands again.

Barry shook his head and started to cry, bowing his forehead to rest against his neck. Hal let go of his hands and started wiping his tears, holding him tight.

“Good. I’m sorry I had to do that Barry, I didn’t want to and I don’t want to hurt you.” Hal promised, “I know that this has been a stressful day and I know that you’re frustrated, but you cannot hurt yourself. I don’t ever want you taking out your emotions on yourself or Wally, if you need to hit something, there are plenty of pillows, or Bruce has punching bags in the gym.”

Barry nodded, grabbing Hal’s hand and bringing it to his forehead. He moved his lips but couldn’t make a sound, and Hal recognized groveling. He let Barry go for a second, then pulled his hand away and tucked Barry’s nose back to his scent gland.

“I’m not angry Barry, you aren’t in any trouble. You do not need to grovel, my Omega, you’re safe.” 

Hal started kissing his head, holding him tight. He pushed more of his calming scent onto him, feeling Barry go limp while his senses were filled with the smell of a calm Alpha. 

“We’ve got forty more minutes until that anesthetic wears off, then I’ll take you to go get some food.” Hal whispered, “Try to get some rest Barry.”

Hal held him and kept him close. Barry pressed his face into his neck, blocking out any light or scents other than his own. Hal made a note to ask him about the weird bracelets he’d noticed on his neck earlier, but that could wait until later. It wasn’t like Barry was in any state to do anything except be held at the moment, besides, he’d have plenty of time with him for questions.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just a little ps, my seven year old lap top is starting to die and some keys are sticking. I have a new one ordered but if you see any words where there should be a letter but there isn't or there's too many of the same letter, that's probably why. Sorry about that.

**Author's Note:**

> If anything confuses you, please feel free to ask for clarification. I'll do my best to answer.


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